Dr Martin Peniak

Project Tao · ongoing

From abandoned ground
to a home off the grid.

There was an old well and a broken garden house on land that was difficult even to walk through. Building Tao has meant learning about water, solar power, construction and growing things, alongside the computing and automation that help me look after it.

The Living Postcards share short observations from the place as it changes. They are a small window into a much longer project.

See how Tao works Watch the build unfold

A path through the planting and garden structures at Tao

Play Living Postcards Open the playlist on YouTube

With iCub at the University of Plymouth

Research & innovation

Teaching robots.
Learning how to build.

My PhD explored how GPU computing could make cognitive-robotics experiments possible at a different scale. I developed tools for iCub learning, worked on evolutionary rover control in a Plymouth–ESA collaboration, and spent summer 2012 as a research intern at NVIDIA.

An early pioneer in applying GPU computing to cognitive robotics.

The research, results and original sources

Applied visionAI cameras & synthetic worlds Spatial intelligenceHelping cameras share a world

People I have worked with

In their words

“A trusted, reliable, effective AI scientist!”

Angelo CangelosiPhD supervisor, University of PlymouthLinkedIn recommendation

“extraordinary dedication to implementing technically complex projects”

Tony BelpaemePhD supervisor, University of PlymouthExcerpt from LinkedIn recommendation

Speaking to the audience at TEDx Bratislava in 2014

TEDx Bratislava · 2014

My dream about AI

At nineteen, I arrived in the UK with little money and little English. Years later, I stood on this stage to tell the story: the difficult beginning, the people who helped, and the childhood dream that led me into robotics.

TEDx organiser Monika Pohlová highlighted my ability to make technical subjects engaging and understandable to a wider audience.

Watch the talk and read the organiser’s introduction

Beyond the work

There is more to a life.

I am also a father, an astrophotographer and a natural bodybuilder. These are parts of my life I want to keep here, alongside the research and the things I build.