Robotics & Automation Magazine caught up with Maria Stukoff, director of the Maker Space, University of Salford, to gain her insight on what true robotic and automation innovation means, and what this means for the Robotics & Automation Awards!
Dr. Maria Stukoff is an expert with more than 25 years of experience leading digital skills and creative innovation programmes in the video games, media sector, and STEM industries. Currently, she serves as the director of Maker Space at the University of Salford, a hi-tech digital fabrication lab providing a testbed for innovation and optimisation, sporting high-specification equipment to solve electronic, design, manufacturing, and technical challenges.
Why did you choose to be a judge at the Robotics & Automation Awards 2024?
I chose to serve as a judge for the Robotics & Automation Awards 2024 because I am deeply passionate about the innovative journeys of companies and how their new technological investments make advancements accessible to a wider audience, ultimately creating a greater impact across various sectors. I was particularly interested to see how people in companies are integrated into the innovation journey, ensuring that these technologies benefit beyond the tech and recognising their potential to transform industries and drive meaningful change.
Can you share your background in robotics and automation and how it has informed your judging criteria for the Awards?
For the past seven years, I have led the university’s additive manufacturing and digital fabrication lab, drawing on my background in product design and human-computer interaction. We actively support research partnerships, assisting companies with a range of initiatives to create, test, and implement innovations—experience that has directly informed my broader judging criteria.
What does robotic and automation innovation mean to you?
Robotics and automation enhance collaboration and knowledge-sharing by making intricate projects achievable for people of various skill levels. By integrating advanced robotics, automated tools, and smart systems, maker spaces can offer creators access to high-precision fabrication, rapid prototyping, and scalable production capabilities that were once only available in industrial settings. This technology empowers individuals and small teams to streamline complex tasks, improve safety, and reduce manual labor, allowing them to focus more on design, creativity, and problem-solving
What recent trends in robotics and automation have you found most exciting or impactful across different industries?
I’m really interested in the rise of cobots that can safely work alongside people; especially aiding enhanced productivity and flexibility in industries like healthcare and education and combining this with AI-powered automation shaping the way we predictive maintenance needs to new learning applications such as in education.
How do you see robotics and automation transforming various industries, such as healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture?
At the Maker Space, we’ve seen robotics and automation transform various industries. For example, our FARMBOT has supported agritech and environmental research, enabling off-campus researchers to manage remote “grow beds” efficiently. Salford also leads in robotics innovation with projects like Carebot, designed to enhance healthcare and improve quality of life, showcasing automation’s potential for human enhancement.
In your opinion, how will the role of judges in awards like this evolve as the fields of robotics and automation continue to advance?
Future judges will need to assess not only technical innovation but also the ethical and societal implications of advancements. By evaluating how new solutions address real-world challenges, judges will play a crucial role in ensuring that projects meet industry standards and genuinely benefit the people working with these technologies.
Innovations and achievements in robotics across many sectors will be highlighted and celebrated at the second annual Robotics & Automation Awards on 06 November 2024 at De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London. Visit www.roboticsandautomationawards.co.uk to learn more about this unmissable industry event – and to book your table!
