Our computer scientists are collaborating with researchers from other disciplines to better understand how animals are coping with ecological challenges. Their research is playing an important part in reducing global biodiversity loss.
Dr Farshad Arvin is leading the RoboRoyale project, where he is combining miniature robotics, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to create robotic bees.
The robotic bees are programmed to have interactions with the honeybees’ queen, such as stimulating egg laying in the queen by feeding her the right foods at the right time.
The RoboRoyale project combines micro-robotic, biological and machine-learning technologies to nurture the queen honeybee’s well-being.
A unique aspect of RoboRoyale is its sole focus on the queen rather than the entire colony.
The multi-robot system, which the team has started to test since July 2023, will learn over time how to groom the queen to optimise her egg laying and production of pheromones – chemical scents that influence the behaviour of the hive.
Founded by our scientists in 2013, MammalWeb collects camera trap images of the UK’s mammals to build a picture of their habits and behaviours.
The project’s database has grown from its origins in North East England to gathering data from over 2,500 sites across the UK and beyond.
In the UK, contributors’ camera traps have captured 440,000 classified image sequences and videos, of which more than 180,000 are mammal detections.
In total, the project has recorded the equivalent of more than 340 camera trap years of wild mammal activity across the country.
Our experts say the need for large scale monitoring is increasingly important as wildlife responds to climate change and other causes of global biodiversity loss strongly linked to human activities.
Our Department of Computer Science is growing, with ambitious plans for the future and an inclusive, vibrant and international community at its heart. Ranked as a UK Top 10 Department (Complete University Guide 2023), our students develop knowledge and gain essential and transferable skills through high quality teaching, delivered by a passionate team of leading academics.
Feeling inspired? Visit our Computer Science webpages to learn more about our postgraduate and undergraduate programmes.
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