Informatics events at the Edinburgh International Science Festival 2019
School of Informatics staff are involved in numerous events at the Edinburgh International Science Festival.
The events cater for all ages and tastes; there are drop-ins and demos, as well as talks and discussions.
The Robotarium
Drop-in. Interact with robots from the Edinburgh Centre for Robotics! From an assembly line robot that wants to learn how to work with you, to cute football playing bots, learn how robots understand and imitate human beings, and the important reasons why. ?
11th-15th April
National Museum of Scotland
Every Breath You Take
Air pollution is in the news daily and in the UK, 40,000 deaths each year are linked to this growing problem. Join Prof D K Arvind to learn about the exciting new development of wearable sensors to measure air pollution and its effects on vulnerable groups, such as young asthmatics, pregnant mothers and patients with chronic obstructive respiratory disease. After the discussion, have a go at wearing the devices on a walk around the museum to visualise your personal dosage of air pollutants.
Sunday, 7th April, 12 pm
NMS, Auditorium
Where the Hell is My Hoverboard?
If you've seen films like Back to the Future or Blade Runner you might be wondering why we aren't all zipping around on hoverboards or getting stuck in flying traffic jams. We've invited a panel of experts and enthusiasts, including robotics researcher James Garforth, future-tech enthusiast and journalist Dave Hall and engineering researcher Dr Adam Stokes, to discuss where technology is at and what hurdles we still have to overcome before we can live out our sci-fi dreams. There will also be the opportunity to taste some 3D printed food, courtesy of Cambridge company Nūfood.
Monday, 8th April, 5:30 pm
Pleasance: Cabaret Bar
Inside Google Translate
Google Translate can interpret over one hundred human languages, but not always very well. Will it ever be able to translate poetry? Computer language expert Adam Lopez takes us inside the multilingual site to see how it works, with activity and discussion spanning language, creativity, and silicon brains.
Wednesday, 10th Apr, 5:30 pm
Pleasance: Lomond Room
Health Trackers: help or hindrance?
As we settle into the digital age, increasing numbers of people are turning to fitness trackers to tell them about their activity and give nudges to help improve their health. Trackers collect a huge amount of data on us, from our date of birth to our daily movements. Today we ask: could the data be used to improve human health, or is it just a privacy and security risk?
Panelists include Beverley Bryant, former director of digital technology for NHS England, Dr Lukasz Piwek, researcher in smart wearables' data, and Dr Paul Patras, lecturer in cyber security.
Hosted by fitness writer Nick Harris-Fry.
Saturday, 13th April, 5:30 pm
Pleasance: Quaker Studio
For more events check the Festival website.
Related links
Edinburgh International Science Festival