New flying robots lab to open on campus
Construction on the £1.25m lab will start in 2016.
Imperial is opening a new lab to develop flying robots. The drone lab will be the most advanced in the UK, and will cost £1.25m to build. The testing lab is to be built on the South Kensington campus, as an investment into next generation robotics, and construction of the lab will begin in 2016.
The Brahmal Vasudevan Aerial Robotics Lab will be a two-story structure that will feature workshops and a working laboratory. The lab will be installed on the roof of the City and Guilds building, and will have also teaching facilities for undergraduates and postgraduates.
It will house a workshop for manufacturing aerial robots, and will feature an arena to put the new flying robots to the test. There will also be facilities to test the robots in water too, which will aid the development of robots for search and rescue missions.
The aerial arena will have sixteen high speed 3D aerial tracking cameras, whilst the water tank will feature a further eight to track to robots as they swim and dive throughout the water.
The lab was funded by Dr Brahmal Vasudevan, an alumnus of Imperial College London, who donated the £1.25m costs in full. Dr Vasudevan studied Aeronautical Engineering at Imperial before completing an MBA from the Harvard Business School, and is now the Founder and Chief Executive officer of Creador, a private equity firm based in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and India.
Professor Jeff Magee, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, said: “The Brahmal Vasudevan Aerial Robotics Lab will be a focal point for our aerial robotics research and education activities. We also want this facility to a place for prospective students and school children to visit, inspiring them to become future aeronautical engineers.”
Professor Alice Gast, President of Imperial College London, said: “Aerial robotics has a tremendous range of applications, and Imperial is well-equipped to play a pivotal role in this nascent industry. Brahmal Vasudevan’s generosity and vision will allow our students, academics and industrial partners to rapidly advance research and innovation in this exciting field.”
_Felix _wholeheartedly welcomes our new flying robot overlords.
