RAICo showcases ‘the art of the possible’ at robotics and AI open day 

Cutting-edge technology took centre stage as delegates descended on the Cumbria headquarters of the Robotics and AI Collaboration (RAICo) for an Academic Showcase. 

Exhibitors at the event delivered live demonstrations of the innovative solutions they are developing to address challenges in nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering. 

RAICo welcomed guests to the showcase from industry, the supply chain and its four member organisations: the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), Sellafield Ltd (SL), the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), and the University of Manchester (UoM). 

The event, led by the UoM, was held at RAICo1 in Whitehaven, Cumbria, and attracted strong delegate numbers. 

Dr Kirsty Hewitson, Director of RAICo, said: “I was pleased but not surprised by the number of people who visited the showcase. Cumbria is becoming a hotspot for the development of robotics and AI in challenging environments, and the sector will be a critical part of our economy moving forwards. 

“Events like this are so important because they give end-users the opportunity to understand the art of the possible, be inspired, and see how new technology could potentially be applied to the problems they face on-site. 

“They also present an opportunity for academia to showcase their work and demonstrate their competencies, abilities, and tenacity in developing these technologies.” 

RAICo works closely with academic institutions. At the showcase, the Universities of Manchester, Oxford, York, Glasgow, Strathclyde, and Nottingham were among the exhibitors, with researchers from each presenting their work to delegates. 

Through its university partnerships, RAICo has been working to establish academic robot and AI capability within the collaboration. 

There were 15 live exhibit areas at the showcase, with each piece of technology feeding into RAICo’s key areas of academic research: Remote Inspection, Remote Handling, Human-Robot Interaction and Verification, Safety Case Identification and Standardisation 

Amongst the exhibits were: 

• A mobile robot platform which has next-generation ability in the remote inspection of confined spaces using 360-degree immersive VR. The robot is ideal for nuclear environments such as service trenches, ducts, and pipe bridges, where accessibility is challenging and safety is critical. 
  

Research: Ran Chenhao (above) from the University of Strathclyde with the mobile robot platform

• A project researching cooperative legged robots in challenging environments. It aims to develop ground-breaking techniques for the high-level teleoperation of one or more legged robots equipped with robotic arms for remote transportation, movement of bulky material, and dismantling. There was a live demo involving a quadruped robot.

Innovative: A quadruped robot (above) during a live demonstration of work being undertaken as part of the  cooperative legged robots in challenging environments project.

• The Perching Inspection in Nuclear Environments (PIONER) system which is designed to increase deployment time of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV’s) during the inspection of facilities by equipping them with various technologies to temporarily perch including eagle-type claws. This conserves UAV battery life and enables longer periods of inspection.

Energy saving: The TAARN system in one of its iterations in action

• The Tetherless Autonomous Aquatic Robotic Navigation (TAARN) system, which aims to facilitate fully wireless and autonomous navigation of underwater vehicles in confined spaces, such as spent fuel pools. The robot was exhibited in the test pond at RAICo1. 

Engaged: Delegates by the test pond as it is used to showcase the capabilities of the TAARN system.

Dr Bruno Adorno, RAICo’s Academic Lead, spent time speaking with guests and exhibitors at the event.  

He said: “Usually, people do not know what academia does; we can often be siloed within very specific scientific communities. We frequently talk to our peers but can be a little disconnected from the end–user. 

“One of RAICo’s aims is to connect academia and the supply chain, so the Academic Showcase was a way of showing what we have been doing and why it is very useful. 

“When we meet people, we often describe our work in more abstract terms, and they have only a vague idea of what we are talking about. 

“But at events like the Academic Showcase, people can see the technologies in a tangible way. Even if the demonstration is simplified or a step removed from the latest version – as we prefer to show something robust rather than still under development – it gives them a clear picture of where we are heading.” 

You can discover more about RAICo and its work with academic institutions by visiting https://raico.org/academia