The Extreme Robotics Lab is known for it's work with national and international agencies on robotics for nuclear and other extreme environments. But our technologies apply to many different industries.
The ERL group is highly inter-disciplinary - our world-class researchers have publications spanning numerous different areas of robotics, AI, machine learning, computer vision, image processing, dynamics and control, and related areas of applied mathematics. We have particular strengths in autonomous grasping, manipulator motion planning and control, driven by real-time 3D computer vision. We are also prominent in Human-Robot and Human-AI interaction research, in which both human and AI collaborate in various ways to control remote robot arms and vehicles.
Projects
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Reuse and Recycling of Lithium-ion Batteries (ReLiB) - The overall aim of the ReLiB project is to understand the conditions required to ensure the sustainable management of lithium-ion batteries when they reach the end of their useful life in electric vehicles. Dr. Rastegarpanah and Professor Stolkin lead the automation of the ReLiB project, which focuses on robotising the process of testing, disassembly, and sorting EV batteries. The ERL team have developed adaptive control strategies for multi-robots to collaboratively disassemble various EV battery packs from pack level to cell level. The Sustainable Robotic Centre (SRC) is the hearth of the ERL's pioneering industrial scale robotics.
- The National Centre for Nuclear Robotics (NCNR)
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- 400+ peer reviewed scientific papers in four years!
- 200+ engagement, collaboration and exchange activities with external stakeholders.
- £8million leveraging from industry,
- £10million institutional investment and additional funding
- Training of 60+ early career post-doc and PhD researchers in advanced robotics for industrial applications.
- Worldwide impact on policy, regulation and guidance to governments, nuclear agencies and operators.
- National and international education outreach in schools to inspire the next generation of engineers and roboticists.
- Innovation, technology transfer and commercialisation impacts across nuclear and other industries.
- World first AI-controlled robot arm in live radioactive environment.
- World-first deployments of autonomous drones at Chernobyl and Fukushima.
- £720,000 EPSRC UK-Korea Civil Nuclear Collaboration (leader) – “Robotic system for retrieval of contaminated materials from hazardous zones”
- £1.75million EPSRC Remote Sensing in Nuclear Environments (leader)
- £5.5million (£2million to Bham) EPSRC Programme Grant – Robotics for Nuclear Environments (co-leader)
- £multi-million DISTINCTIVE nuclear consortium (participant)
- 5 nuclear-sponsored robotics/sensing PhD studentships have been won, totalling more than £half-million funding.
Related Grants
- £250,000 InnovateUK KTP with KUKA (KUKA is a world-leading manufacturer of industrial robot arms – UK nuclear industry is now committed to using KUKA robots)
- £130,000 Ministry of Defence (human-AI collaboration for control of remote robot vehicles)
Other work
- A.R.M Robotics Ltd
- InnovateUK LaserSnake2 – commissioned by NNL to achieve autonomous robotic laser cutting of nuclear waste
- Sellafield Ltd – advanced 3D imaging of bulging nuclear storage containers
- New InnovateUK SBRI project (collab with NNL and Bristol Robotics Lab) – Integrated robotic system for nuclear decommissioning. Now in Phase 1 of £1.5million two-phase project.