UK strategy recognises the significance of robotics for challenging environments in order to provide safe, reliable and re-usable solutions. The talk will consider the potential for advanced AI techniques, including deep learning, in conjunction with increasingly commoditised robot hardware to address common issues including inspection and remote maintenance interventions.

Two uses cases will be explored:

1)    Autonomous vehicles as a vanguard application of robotics which has the potential to be the breakthrough technology;

2)    Fusion offers huge potential for large scale base load electricity supply. Research shows that manual maintenance of a future fusion reactor is not credible. This leads to remote maintenance being both device defining and mission critical. RACE’s research has much wider cross sector impact, including space exploration and under water mining, all of which is being addressed under the RACE technology roadmap called ‘RACE to ZERO’.