Operations in hostile environments–such as those found in Nuclear Decommissioning, Oil and Gas, Mining, and Space–require the execution of sophisticated tasks. Examples of these tasks are: building structures, and deploying tools for inspection, lifting, and cutting. These environments pose a significant risk to the health and safety of manual workers. The safety of personnel can be mitigated by the use of autonomous robotic systems which can perform the required tasks in these extreme environments.
These environments present the following challenges:
- Hazardous working environments requiring protective equipment and limited time windows for operation
- Limited access through which to deploy the systems
- Unstable structures present that prevent occupation
- Lifting of heavy objects (~50kg) that require mechanical assistance
- Processing of large volumes of liquids (1000s litres)
The Connect-R team propose to develop an industrial-scale self-building modular robotic solution to provide access to work-sites in these hazardous environments.
The Connect-R project is funded by Innovate UK and in collaboration with colleagues at Barrnon, Ross Robotics, Jigsaw Structures, Tharsus, UK Atomic Energy Authority, and Royal Holloway London/MIT.
Connect-R Robot