Lincoln Centre for Autonomous Systems (L-CAS)

Delighted to share this announcement — and to highlight that our LCASTOR team will both compete in and co-organise the second edition of the East Midlands Service Robotics Competition. 🚀 East Midlands Service Robotics Competition 2026   📅 20–21 June 2026   📍 Sheffield Hallam University  This year’s steel-city restaurant scenario poses a compelling, systems-level challenge spanning perception, human–robot interaction, and autonomous coordination — from customer engagement through to safe and intelligible service delivery. We look forward to contributing both organisationally and technically, and to engaging with colleagues across academia and industry tackling real-world service robotics problems. If you are considering participation or collaboration, I would strongly encourage submitting an Expression of Interest below:   https://lnkd.in/e9FQ7KhP  #Robotics #ServiceRobotics #AI #HumanRobotInteraction #Innovation

Robots, Research and Real Conversations: Inside the UK Robot Manipulation Workshop 2026 🤖 Yi Zhang, a Cohort 3 student at the University of Cambridge, recently attended the UK Robot Manipulation Workshop in Edinburgh. Joining researchers from across the UK for talks, demos, and networking. Standout themes included tactile sensing, a diverse range of control approaches, and an inspiring lab tour at the University of Edinburgh. But perhaps most valuable of all was the Inclusive Futures Forum, a genuine space to discuss barriers in robotics and what a more inclusive research environment could look like. Congratulations to Yi for attending and representing AgriFoRwArdS! 🌱 Want to read more? Check out our latest newsletter for the full account of Yi's experience: https://lnkd.in/eSfn3t6G #Robotics #AgriFoRwArdS #PhD #UKRobotics

Three days. Zero distractions. Real writing progress. Earlier this month, our doctoral students and staff headed to Wood Hall Hotel & Spa in the Yorkshire countryside for a dedicated writing retreat. Whether shaping thesis chapters, drafting journal articles, or polishing conference papers — participants stepped away from their usual routines and into three days of focused, structured writing time. With exclusive use of the hotel, four flexible working spaces, and 100 acres of private grounds to explore between sessions, it was the perfect setting to think, write, and recharge. More to come on what made this retreat so special.

We are proud to welcome Dr. Riccardo Polvara to Sapiente as one of our mentors! Dr. Polvara is the Deputy Director of the Lincoln Centre for Autonomous Systems (L-CAS) and a Senior Lecturer in Robotics and Autonomous Systems at the University of Lincoln. L-CAS is one of the UK’s leading robotics research centres, advancing real-world autonomy in complex environments.   His research focuses on robust autonomy for mobile robots in unstructured and dynamic environments, spanning AI, probabilistic reasoning, and multi-modal sensing. Dr. Polvara leads major international projects, including GAIA (EPSRC) with TU Delft, ETH Zurich, and the University of Bonn, and VISTA (InnovateUK) on digital twin technologies for precision agriculture. He has contributed to major European programmes such as H2020 BACCHUS and the NCNR project, with applications ranging from aerial-ground collaboration to sustainable agriculture. We’re honoured to have Dr. Polvara join our mentorship community to inspire and guide the next generation of robotics and AI innovators. #sapiente #education #mentorship

🎓 Exciting news from us. Yesterday, our Academic Body voted to elect our new leadership team. We're delighted to announce the results of our democratic election process: ✓ Marc Hanheide, Director (confirmed) ✓ Riccardo Polvara, Deputy Director ✓ Francesco Del Duchetto and Grzegorz Cielniak, Management Board representatives This restructuring strengthens L-CAS's governance and sets us up for even greater impact. Here's what this means for our community: 📊 Enhanced Collaboration: Our expanded Management Board ensures representation across all schools and enables more robust decision-making that drives interdisciplinary research. 🤝 Strengthened Accountability: With fresh leadership and broader representation, we're doubling down on our commitment to transparency and collective oversight. 🚀 Accelerated Impact: New perspectives and energy at the helm will help us unlock funding opportunities, deepen partnerships, and advance robotics and autonomous systems research at scale. Our governance model prioritises equal voice for all members. Every strategic decision is voted on by our Academic Body, ensuring our Centre truly reflects the collective will of our research community. Together, we're building a world-leading research centre grounded in democracy, cooperation, and excellence. What's next? We're energised and ready to pursue our mission: advancing research excellence in #Robotics and #AutonomousSystems through #innovation, #collaboration, and real-world #impact. Proud to be part of L-CAS. University of Lincoln College of Health and Science, University of Lincoln Lincoln Institute for Agri-Food Technology

Another two weeks to submit your great papers on #agricultural #robotics!