Sheffield University is one of three organisations to have been given a share in £1.3m of government funding to develop ‘telexistence projects’ – technology that will make it possible for workers to do jobs in hazardous environments without being there.
Alongside TNO and Cyberselves Universal Ltd, the University will develop four projects over the next 10 months for testing and demonstration next year.
The there have been selected by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, and Defence and Security Accelerator.
The companies were tasked with evaluating their innovations against ‘use cases’ in Specialist Nuclear Decommissioning Tasks, Explosive Ordnance Disposal, and Defence and Security Medical applications.
NDA group companies were involved in developing the Special Nuclear Decommissioning Tasks ‘use case’ drawing on the experience and previous work in glove box decommissioning, remote handling and waste repackaging.
Andrew Gray, the NDA’s Innovation Delivery Manager, said: “We’re excited to be working with DASA and Dstl on this competition. Advancing technologies in the area of telexistence will help us deliver our decommissioning mission more safely, securely and efficiently in enabling us to move humans away from harm.
“It’s our aim to reduce decommissioning activities carried out by humans in hazardous environments by 50% by 2030. We’re really encouraged to see such fantastic solutions being put forward by the supply chain.”
