Advancing Remote Inspection Technologies: The Robotics Revolution

Name: Advancing Remote Inspection Technologies: The Robotics Revolution
Start: 2023-12-06T08:30:00
Location: Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground

Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground, Manchester

06 December 2023

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Overview

By focusing on practical applications, case studies and collaboration opportunities, this seminar will showcase how robotics and autonomous systems (RAS) can be used to address critical challenges of asset holders in the nuclear, oil-gas and renewable industries.

These robotic systems navigate through complex and dangerous environments, access restricted spaces, and perform inspections with precision and agility. This dramatically reduces risk and, in the longer term, cost, by reducing human intervention and beginning to automate inspections.

This event will outline current industry trends, such as drones, crawlers, and robotic arms, but also technological advancements, like the conversion from automatic to fully autonomous (maritime and terrestrial, evolving regulations, and the increasing demand for efficient and accurate inspection methodologies.

Those involved in the design, operation, maintenance, and validation of engineering equipment in hazardous or remote environments must ensure that remote inspection technologies being used are fit for purpose. This event will bring together all major stakeholders to gain an understanding of challenges from different perspectives.

Key themes will include:

Strategies to minimise human intervention offshore
Improving precision and repeatability of robotic inspection
Robotic design requirements
Future of remote inspection technologies

Join this event to:

Learn more about robotic integration in RIT’s: emerging trends, technological breakthroughs, and best practices through expert sessions and panel discussions
Gain actionable insights on implementing technologies, through case studies and practical approaches
Network with industry experts, solution providers, researchers, and peers
Hear industry-specific insights from the offshore, nuclear, railway and marine industry sectors
Acquire a forward-looking perspective into the future landscape of this cross-industry technology

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Day 1

09:00 - Seminar programme

	Wednesday, 6 December 2023
09:00	Registration and Refreshments
09:30	Chair’s Opening Remarks Andrew Weightman, Professor of Medical Mechatronics, University of Manchester Simon Watson, Senior Lecturer in Robotics Systems, University of Manchester
09:40	Sharing Solutions: Fast-Tracking Progress through Cross-Industry Technology Adoption James Kell, Robotics Technical Director, Jacobs Many industries only look ‘within’ their sector How sharing of industrial issues can accelerate the realisation of a solution CRADLE – EPSRC funded collaboration between Jacobs and the University of Manchester to accelerate key robotics technologies
	Minimising human intervention offshore
10:10	Remote Inspection of Offshore Wind Turbine Structures Samuel Foster, Validation Engineer, ORE Catapult
10:40	Benchmarks for the Design and Use of Autonomous Systems Offshore Nick Tudor, OLTER Technical Authority Chair, Net Zero Technology Centre What OLTER is and why it is important to the autonomous systems and service delivery developers as well as their potential customers What we have achieved to data Plans for the remainder of the programme
11:10	Networking Refreshment Break
	Utilising robotics to increase precision in hazardous environments
11:40	Nuclear Infrastructure Inspection Using Robotics Melissa Willis, Robotics and Manufacturing Research Lead, Sellafield Ltd History of Sellafield Ltd Current inspections using robotics Future challenges
12:10	Using Robotics for Inspection and Maintenance on the Railway Andrew Starr, Professor of Maintenance Systems, Cranfield University
12:40	Service Robotics for Aerospace & Beyond Andy Norton, Services Technology Specialist, Rolls-Royce An overview of on-going R&D activities in Rolls-Royce to enable advanced in-field customer support A focus on recent developments in advanced Remote Visual Inspection for through-life aeroengine component diagnostics A perspective on opportunities and challenges with global deployment of Remote Visual Inspection tools
13:10	Networking Lunch
	Implementation of requirements in robotics design
14:10	Panel Discussion: Finding common ground between industry and research James Kell, Robotics Technical Director, Jacobs Melissa Willis, Robotics and Manufacturing Research Lead, Sellafield Ltd Nick Valentine, Robotics Engineer, UK Civil Service Andrew Weightman, Professor of Medical Mechatronics, University of Manchester Simon Watson, Senior Lecturer in Robotics Systems, University of Manchester
14:45	Remote Inspection and Monitoring with Autonomous Mobile Robots Nick Hawes, Professor of AI and Robotics, University of Oxford and Director of the Oxford Robotics Institute Range of examples of the use of mobile robots for inspection and monitoring Specific focus on the combination of a 3D mapping device and a quadruped robot to perform repeated inspections in industrial environments Challenges in automatically planning and executing inspection missions on mobile robots on land and in the ocean
15:15	Siemens Energy Ian Kane, Sales Development Manager – NDT Robotic Inspections Gertrand Prins, Technical Sales Support - Robotic Inspections, Operational Technology
15:35	Networking Refreshment Break
16:00	Maintaining our critical national infrastructure: How Jacobs Robotics is securing tomorrow’s world Samuel White, Senior Robotics Engineer, Jacobs Robotic Scanning for Digital Twins: Discover how cutting edge lidar technology is being combined with robotic systems facilitating surveys in hazardous environments Robotic NDT technology: Uncover how Jacobs are combining NDT probes with robotic systems to carry out inspections Submersible robotics: Dive underwater and learn about the MicroROV, designed to perform inspections of 6inch pipework
	Future of robotics in remote inspections
16:30	The Opportunities and Challenges of Human Machine Teaming Nick Valentine, Robotics Engineer, UK Civil Service How to create successful strategies for implementing robotic technologies Why safety approaches are important when working with robotics and autonomous systems The dos and don’ts of running trials with robots, and what to do with the results of your trial
17:00	Understanding Technology Readiness and Gauging Future Demands Andrew Weightman, Professor of Medical Mechatronics, University of Manchester Simon Watson, Senior Lecturer in Robotics Systems, University of Manchester
17:30	Chair’s Closing Remarks
17:35	End of Seminar

Andy Norton: Services Technology Specialist, Rolls-Royce

Since joining Rolls-Royce in 2013 after an MSci in Natural Sciences at University of Cambridge and a DPhil in Materials Science at University of Oxford, Andy has supported the Rolls-Royce Aerospace Services business through the development of in-situ and in-field deployable inspection, maintenance, and repair tools which help maximise asset availability. This is achieved through collaboration with high-calibre research organisations and a global supplier network, working in disciplines from photonics to robotics, to create and prove-out novel capabilities which can be utilised within the Rolls-Royce aftermarket business. Andy has managed several major UKRI funded research programmes, is a Chartered Engineer and a Member of the IoM3 and coordinates the University of Nottingham On-Wing Technology Centre where he holds an Honorary Fellowship position.

Samuel White: Senior Robotics Engineer, Jacobs

Sam is a robotics engineer working for Jacobs where he specialises in turning concepts into real-world robotics solutions across a wide variety of sectors including nuclear, space and utilities. His work involves both the research and development of robotic systems, identifying how robotic technologies can resolve complex problems. Prior to joining Jacobs, he completed a PhD in Physics at the University of Bristol where he designed and built a robotic system capable of autonomously sorting radioactive waste.

Ian Kane: Sales Development Manager – NDT Robotic Inspections, Siemens Energy

Ian has held various roles with Siemens /Rolls Royce/Siemens Energy from Supply Chain to Project/Contract Management through to Sales supporting O&G turbine and compressor customers in North Africa, the North Sea as well as the Power Generation industry in the UK. In September 2022, he changed roles to support the Robotic Inspection world working closely with Gecko Robotics

Melissa Willis: Robotics and Manufacturing Research Lead, Sellafield Ltd

Working as part of the Enterprise R&D Team at Sellafield Ltd managing portfolios focussed on Robotics & Manufacturing. Previously completed a PhD in Materials Science titles Localised Corrosion of Ni-based Superalloys in Seawater.

Nick Hawes: Professor of AI and Robotics, University of Oxford and Director, Oxford Robotics Institute

Nick Hawes is a Professor of AI and Robotics in the Department of Engineering Science at the University of Oxford. He directs the Oxford Robotics Institute (ORI), a federation of seven research groups spanning the breadth of robotics research. He is also a Tutorial Fellow at Pembroke College, and a Group Leader for AI/Robotics at the Alan Turing Institute, the UK’s national institute for AI and data science. Within the ORI he leads the Goal-Oriented Autonomous Long-Lived Systems (GOALS) group which performs research into sequential decision-making for autonomous systems, including robots and heterogenous multi-agent teams. From 2013 to 2017 he led the EU STRANDS project which achieved breakthroughs in long-term autonomy for mobile service robots in everyday environments. More recent highlights include the deployment of an autonomous mission planning stack on a quadruped at an active nuclear site, and on an autonomous underwater vehicle harvesting data from a sensor network.

Nick Tudor: Net Zero Technology Centre, OLTER Technical Authority Chair

Since leaving the RAF in 2003, Nick has worked in software and high integrity systems in multiple sectors including aerospace, defence, automotive, rail, autonomous systems in air, land, sea, nuclear decommissioning. He is a key author of the Formal Methods Supplement to DO-178C, the software standard for aerospace. As CEO of D-RisQ, he sets the strategy for the development of automatic formal methods verification tools and has a technical focus on certification. He is the Design Authority Chair for the OLTER project which is setting benchmarks for the design, development and use of standardised autonomous systems in the offshore sector.

Nick Valentine: Trials and Experimentation Engineer, Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S)

Engineer specialising in robotics, with deployed operational experience as an infrastructure engineer. Co-Founder of CHAIN Events and Vice Chair of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Young Members Board/

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