Robots take over shopping centre in team challenge

Robot wars took over part of a shopping centre for a competition to prove their technology was up to various tasks.

Eight teams entered this year's Smart City Robotics Competition at Centre:MK in Milton Keynes.

Tasks included robots that could deliver coffee and others that could open doors or pick and pack shopping - with teams from the University of Cambridge and Cranfield University in Bedford triumphing.

Student Anna Holloway, competing for Milton Keynes College, said when it came to robotics, no-one knew what the future held, which made it "so fun".

The three-day robotics competition was part of Milton Keynes Tech Week.

There are almost 2,500 technology businesses in the city and one in three jobs are linked to the industry.

Shanika Mahendran, Labour councillor at the city council, said: "Milton Keynes is right at the heart of the Oxford-Cambridge growth corridor.

"Our tech economy contributes billions every year, locally and nationally, so it's really important that we're recognised as the economic power-house that we are."

Taking part in the competition were teams from Milton Keynes College, the city's university, Cranfield University, King's College in London, a joint team from Sheffield University and Sheffield Hallam, Nottingham University, Mosaic - a team from the University of Cambridge - and commercial company Swift Robotics, based in Milton Keynes.

They competed in five categories:

• Coffee shop orders - robots take table orders, collect and deliver them safely in a busy cafe setting
• Through the door - navigating doors by operating handles and demonstrating motion, planning and control
• Helping out at home - assisting people with limited mobility by fetching household items
• Picking and packing - finding items on shelves and getting them to checkout
• Drone delivery - flying across controlled areas to drop off medicine and blood samples

The Mosaic team from Cambridge won the coffee shop challenge, while the team from Cranfield triumphed in the door and shopping tasks.

A spokeswoman for Smart City Consultancy said no-one was able to successfully complete the other challenges.

One of those taking part from Milton Keynes College, Anna Holloway, said she could see a time when robots would be helping in our everyday lives.

The 19-year-old, who is studying cyber security, said: "They are already helping us in certain places... we've got robot vacuums.

"This is what is happening today but 10 years down the line it could be completely different - we don't know, and that's what's so fun about it."

The robotics competition is organised by Smart City Consultancy, supported by Milton Keynes City Council and Centre:MK, and is part of the European Robotics League, from euRobotics.​

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