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The ‘robots for a safer world’ challenge focused on research and innovation in advanced robotics and autonomous systems.
It aimed to create a safer working world for humans by taking them out of extreme environments such as places that are difficult or dangerous for humans to access.
This challenge, with an investment of up to £112 million, focused on research and innovation in advanced robotics and autonomous systems. This was supported by over £500 million of industry-matched funding into our community.
Our funding opportunities may fund research and development projects that are categorised as feasibility studies, industrial research or experimental development.
For feasibility studies and industrial research projects, the following intervention rates may apply:
For experimental development projects which are nearer to market, the following intervention rates may apply:
Capital costs may be funded through some funding opportunities with intervention rates of up to 80%.
Research organisations undertaking non-economic activity may be funded as follows:
Research organisations which are engaged in economic activity as part of the project will be treated as business enterprises for the purposes of funding.
Over the past five years we’ve shown that robots can take on tasks that are:
Our investments have developed robotics and artificial intelligence systems that can carry out tasks in extreme environments like:
The challenge also addressed new needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, such as robotic sanitising of care facilities.
Watch Andrew Tyrer, challenge director, explain more about the ‘robots for a safer world’ challenge.
Video credit: UKRI. On-screen captions and an auto-generated transcript is available on YouTube.
The challenge aimed to create a safer working world for humans by taking them out of extreme environments such as places that are difficult or dangerous for humans to access.
In the last five years we have:
The challenge has built a cohort of organisations all pulling in the same direction, bringing innovative products and services to market.
On the international stage, we:
Investments under this challenge included four robotics research hubs and collaborative research and development projects.
The hubs were:
Each hub looked at a different area of robotics use cases and worked nationwide with many partners.
The leads were based at:
Explore all the challenge’s funded projects.
BladeBUG Limited is developing a unique walking robotic device. It is designed to remotely perform detailed inspection, maintenance and repair of wind turbine blades, offering significant health and safety benefits over rope access technicians.
The robot uses multiple legs with vacuum cups, and can be rapidly deployed and retrieved, minimising turbine losses.
Video credit: UKRI. On-screen captions and an auto-generated transcript is available on YouTube.
Wootzano, based in County Durham, has developed an entirely autonomous robotic system capable of completing delicate, dexterous tasks like fruit and vegetable packing.
With a patented electronic skin, proprietary hardware and machine learning algorithms in fully integrated robotic packaging systems, Wootzano’s technology allows its robots to have a greater sensory awareness of their environment.
This allows the robots to analyse data such as:
Video credit: UKRI On-screen captions and an auto-generated transcript is available on YouTube.
Project Prometheus looked at the inspection and exploration of underground environments, which can only be accessed through 140mm to 150mm boreholes.
The robots can inspect subterranean mines underneath the rail network and other infrastructure, which humans cannot reach, are dark, lack GPS and can be partially flooded.
The NCNR is reducing the need for humans to enter radioactive environments by sending drones to monitor and survey nuclear sites.
The University of Bristol, as part of the NCNR consortium, conducted the first ever drone flight over Chernobyl’s Red Forest, using radiation mapping technology to conduct an aerial survey.
This innovative technology is cheaper, safer and provides more extensive measurements than using manned aircraft.
Last updated: 17 October 2024
