Skip to main content

New grant awarded to Dr Sara Bernardini

  • Date19 January 2019

Connect-R: Providing Structure in Unstructured Extreme Environments is funded by Innovate UK (TS/S017623/1)

Sara

There are many hostile working environments that require sophisticated tasks to be performed, such as the building of structures and deployment of tools where there is significant risk to the health and safety of any manual workers involved, high cost of deployment and significant timescales for completion; examples are Nuclear Decommissioning, Oil and Gas, Mining and Space systems.

Common to many of these environments is the extreme difficulty of effective deployment of the sophisticated kind of equipment that replaces human beings. 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 (thousands of litres)

Connect-R proposes to develop an industrial-scale, self-building, autonomous, modular robotic solution to provide robotic access to work-sites in these hazardous environments.

The Connect-R team also includes Barrnon Ltd, Ross Robotics, Tharsus, Jigsaw Structures, the UK Atomic Energy Authority and the University of Edinburgh.

See also the press release issued on gov.uk: "Robots to fix underground pipes and help cut roadworks".

 

Related topics

Explore Royal Holloway

Arrivals Sept 2017 77 1.jpg

Get help paying for your studies at Royal Holloway through a range of scholarships and bursaries.

clubs-societies_REDUCED.jpg

There are lots of exciting ways to get involved at Royal Holloway. Discover new interests and enjoy existing ones.

Accommodation home hero

Heading to university is exciting. Finding the right place to live will get you off to a good start.

Support and wellbeing 2022 teaser.jpg

Whether you need support with your health or practical advice on budgeting or finding part-time work, we can help.

Founders, clock tower, sky, ornate

Discover more about our academic departments and schools.

REF_2021.png

Find out why Royal Holloway is in the top 25% of UK universities for research rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’.

Immersive Technology

Royal Holloway is a research intensive university and our academics collaborate across disciplines to achieve excellence.

volunteering 10th tenth Anniversary Sculpture - research.jpg

Discover world-class research at Royal Holloway.

First years Emily Wilding Davison Building front view

Discover more about who we are today, and our vision for the future.

RHC PH.100.1.3 Founders south east 1886.w

Royal Holloway began as two pioneering colleges for the education of women in the 19th century, and their spirit lives on today.

Notable alumni Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay

We’ve played a role in thousands of careers, some of them particularly remarkable.

Governance

Find about our decision-making processes and the people who lead and manage Royal Holloway today.