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El Reg Summer Lectures: Space, robots and digital homes

Three professors walk into a pub...and start talking

It’s time to light up your brains for the summer, with a series of Reg lectures that will power you from your robot infested home all the way to the solar system and beyond.

It’s a great lineup of speakers with not one, not two, but three bona fide professors to exercise your grey cells, and get your brain beach ready.

In space no-one can hear you scream - but can they hear you make money?

International Space University’s Prof Chris Welch will join us on June 22 to discuss how space is the latest frontier for business. He’ll cover the new generation of space explorers, the technology they are exploiting and developing, and the venture capitalists behind them.

From nanosats, to asteroid mining, and beyond this talk will be a must for anyone whose scientific or business ambitions stretch further than this planet. You can get full details and buy tickets here.

What does Cognitive Robotics mean to me? I’m only human...

On June 28, we welcome Murray Shanahan, Professor of Cognitive Robotics at Imperial College, who will explain whether we should be scared about the prospect of AI and robots matching our own intelligence - and indeed whether we’re already lagging behind.

Murray’s background spans artificial intelligence, robotics, logic, dynamical systems, computational neuroscience, and philosophy of mind. And if it’s Hollywood glamour you want, he was scientific advisor to the film ‘Ex Machina’, which was in part inspired by his book “Embodiment and the Inner Life”. More details here.

The internet of things: your home will be the first to succumb

Intelligent robots and venture capitalists might make you want to run home and lock the door. But there will be no escape from the march of technology there either, as our July 5 speaker will demonstrate. Andy Stanford-Clark will explain what the internet of things really means for your job, for your home, for society in general, and the Isle of Wight ferry service.

And Andy should know, as a visiting professor at Newcastle University, with a day job as a master inventor and distinguished engineer for the internet of things at IBM, he’s been laying the groundwork for the IoT revolution for years. Buy tickets here.

All the talks will be at the Yorkshire Grey on Theobalds Road, London. The doors will open at 6pm, with the talk proper kicking off at 7pm.

The format remains unchanged, meaning our speaker will give you a 40 minute dive into the topic at hand, with at least the same amount of time for questions. After a suitable break for refreshments of course. And there’ll be plenty of time to quiz our speakers after the main talk, and to connect with your fellow Reg readers before and after.

It’s the perfect way to exercise the grey matter and exercise your social and intellectual muscles before schools break up and the BBQ season kicks off. We look forward to seeing you there. ®

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