Watch: Birmingham-made robot dog joins Black Mirror actor to help Sherwood Forest tourists

Robin Hood is facing some competition in Sherwood Forest - with a new Birmingham-made robot dog being unleashed at the tourist destination.

The remote-controlled robot, which uses 5G, is set to help officials gather data to help make visitor experiences even better - and help the Forest to stay healthy.

The robot dog was designed by experts from Birmingham City University.

The project includes a Robin Hood augmented reality experience called ‘An Arrow Through Time’ which features a cast including Black Mirror’s Dominic Le Moignan, using a script co-written by Bafta award-winning CBBC writer and producer Nick Hutchings.

5G and tourism

With funding worth around £5 million from the DCMS’s Rural Connected Communities programme, matched by the consortium partners, the project focuses on how 5G technology can boost the tourism and environment protection sectors.

The project includes robotic forest rangers, autonomous vehicles and a super-sensitive sensor network for environmental monitoring and management.

Birmingham City University Associate Professor Taufiq Asyhari said, “We are thrilled to be able to showcase some of the high-end AI, computing, and other cutting edge network and interactive technologies, which are helping to drive the 5G Connected Forest project.

“Our robot dog will support the duties of forest rangers to collect various data within forestry surrounding environments. This will be complemented by our drone and advanced sensing technologies to capture the aerial view of the forest. The 5G-enabled forestry data processing could pave a way in understanding the health of the forest close to real time to ensure safe, sustainable interactions between human and forest.

“Our research and development work around data collection and intelligent processing, understanding and improving connectivity, and helping to upscale the forestry environmental management is moving from strength to strength – we’re delighted to be part of a great team on this project.”

Professor Julian Beer, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Birmingham City University, said, “We’re delighted to have achieved a number of milestones within the 5G Connected Forest project, which applies pioneering research in technology to one of the UK’s oldest and most historic of woodlands.

“5G connectivity is at the heart of our work in creating and improving benefits for the business and residential communities of the Sherwood Forest area; we look forward to our ‘working robot dog’ and other systems collecting and understanding real-time data to improve visitor experiences and economies at regional and national levels.”

Speaking from Rufford Mill where the showcase took place, Councillor Keith Girling, chairman of the Nottinghamshire County Council’s Economic Development and Asset Management Committee, said:

“5G Connected Forest really is an exciting project and I am proud that Nottinghamshire is leading the way with these trials.

“An Arrow Through Time, brings local legends to life in a way never seen before. It showcases our ongoing commitment to make Nottinghamshire an even more attractive place to visit thanks to the development of world-class visitor experiences such as this.”

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