London - 1 July 2016

1. Various of shape changing robot walking and waving.

2. Various of Paul Newman, BP Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Oxford, looking at a display in the IET.

3. SOUNDBITE (English): Paul Newman, BP Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Oxford:

"Science doesn't respect national borders. So, we're part of a global community"

4. Various of Shadow Dextrous Hand being operated by Armando De La Rosa, head of dexterous manipulation at the Shadow Robot Company.

5. SOUNDBITE (English) Armando De La Rosa, head of dexterous manipulation at the Shadow Robot Company:

"Especially for dangerous environments where often you need - if you think of in bomb disposal and nuclear commissioning, this is often where you need human dexterity but you don't want a human nearby. This can be attached to a robot arm, to a little rover, and send it on its way and you have the operator somewhere else, at a safe distance, being able to remotely operate the hand to do whatever needs doing and if something goes wrong the operator is at no risk."

6. Various of Shadow Dextrous Hand being operated by Armando De La Rosa, head of dexterous manipulation at the Shadow Robot Company.

7. SOUNDBITE (English) Armando De La Rosa, head of dexterous manipulation at the Shadow Robot Company:

"Robots are just going everywhere, in our homes, into space, into industry so the dream is not just in space but just robots everywhere making everybody's life better."

8. Various of visitors looking at exhibits at the UK Robotics Week event

9. Various of Dr Saeed Zahedi, technical director at Blatchford, with the Linx Limb.

10. SOUNDBITE (English): Dr Saeed Zahedi, technical director at Blatchford.

"This is the first integrated limb where the ankle and knee, they talk to each other, and behave in a coordinated manner. So for example if the amputee is going down the slope it would provide a break at the ankle as well as a break at the knee. An array of sensors at the knee and the ankle, they provide the information to each other so it can coordinate and synchronise and predict what the person is going to do in the same manner as you and I will go down the slope or go up the slope or go down the stairs or stand. Therefore the effort an amputee has to put into walking a leg will reduce."

11. Various of robotics on display at the UK Robotics Week event.

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Science research and development in the UK may face an uncertain future following last week's Brexit decision, but that isn't stopping the UK's top robotics companies.

They've been showing off their latest flying, shape-shifting – and in some cases potentially life changing – inventions at Britain's first Robotics Week.

STORY-LINE:

From shape-changing robots to dexterous mechanical arms, the latest in robotics was on show at the UK's first ever Robotics Week.

The event, from the 25 June to the 1 July, aims to get the British public engaged with developments and debates around robotics.

This shape-shifting robot is designed to manoeuvre over a variety of terrains to access hard to reach places, making it useful in the aftermath of a natural disaster.

But, taking place just days after the seismic political shift caused by the Brexit referendum, the impact of leaving the European Union was also at the forefront of people's minds.

Around 18.3 per cent of the funds the UK receives from the EU goes towards funding scientific research and development, a House of Lords committee said recently.

But Paul Newman, BP Professor of Information Engineering at the University of Oxford, says the UK's scientific community will continue to cooperate with others around the world whatever happens.

"Science doesn't respect national borders, we're part of a global community" he says.

While fans of the Terminator films may fear the rise of the robots, exhibitors at the event were keen to show how robotics can protect people.

The Shadow Dextrous Hand, made by the Shadow Robot Company, can be used for situations such as bomb disposal.

Armando De La Rosa, head of dexterous manipulation at Shadow Robot Company, says: "If you think of in bomb disposal and nuclear commissioning, this is often where you need human dexterity but you don't want a human nearby. This can be attached to a robot arm, to a little rover, and send it on its way and you have the operator somewhere else, at a safe distance, being able to remotely operate the hand to do whatever needs doing and if something goes wrong the operator is at no risk."

De La Rosa thinks that robotics are not just science fiction, but increasingly part of daily life.

"Robots are just going everywhere, in our homes, into space, into industry so the dream is not just in space but just robots everywhere making everybody's life better," he says.

While the Shadow Dextrous Hand is currently too heavy to be used as a prosthetic, other artificial limbs were on show.

Basingstoke-based company Blatchford demonstrated its Linx Limb, which it claims is the most advanced prosthetic limb in the world.

It was the recent winner of the UK's leading prize for innovation in engineering, the MacRobert Award from the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Dr Saeed Zahedi, technical director at Blatchford, explains: "This is the first integrated limb where the ankle and knee, they talk to each other, and behave in a coordinated manner."

"So for example if the amputee is going down the slope it would provide a break at the ankle as well as a break at the knee. An array of sensors at the knee and the ankle, they provide the information to each other so it can coordinate and synchronise and predict what the person is going to do in the same manner as you and I will go down the slope or go up the slope or go down the stairs or stand. Therefore the effort an amputee has to put into walking a leg will reduce," he says.

This exhibit shows how drones, dexterous digits and smart prosthetics are changing our future and bringing hi tech into our every day lives.