Innovate UK funding accelerates robotic stroke rehabilitation device towards launch

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An innovative medtech start-up which has created a soft robotic glove to help rehabilitate stroke patients has received almost half a million pounds of new funding to accelerate its product to market.

Bioliberty has secured a £435,000 project from the Biomedical Catalyst, Innovate UK’s flagship grant funding mechanism. The scheme is designed to transform innovative ideas into commercially viable businesses.

The Edinburgh-based company’s robotic glove works by assisting a patient to open and close their hand, an action which can be severely limited following a stroke. Developed in collaboration with physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and clinicians, the glove has built-in sensors that allows it to vary levels of resistance to tailor rehabilitation exercises to the user. This new Innovate UK funding will go towards developing the machine learning and data collection elements of the product.

Bioliberty is a tenant at the National Robotarium, benefitting from the world-leading robotics centre’s incubation facilities, state-of-the-art labs, and engineering expertise.

The National Robotarium is part of the Data-Driven Innovation initiative, supported by £21 million from the UK Government and £1.4 million from the Scottish Government. The initiative aims to turn Edinburgh into the data capital of Europe and is part of the wider £1.3 billion Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal.

Statistics from the UK’s Stroke Association state that someone has a stroke every five minutes in this country affecting 100,000 people every year. It’s estimated that 1.3 million people in the UK have had a stroke with many requiring ongoing therapy to recover from the symptoms.

New guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published in October states that stroke victims should receive up to three hours of rehabilitation a day, five days a week. However, the Stroke Association has voiced concerns over the NHS’ ability to deliver on this target.

Bioliberty, which has already raised more than £3.5 million in private and public funding and created 8 new highly skilled roles within the company over the last six months, believes the new technology can help deliver on these new guidelines.

Speaking ahead of the UK Stroke Forum in Birmingham, Conan Bradley, Co-Founder at Bioliberty, said:

“Bioliberty is on the verge of a revolutionary leap in rehabilitation technology. Our upcoming trials for our soft robotic glove are set to ignite the United States, with top rehab clinics eagerly in discussions. With this newfound funding, we’re poised to accelerate trials and expedite our market launch. But we’re not stopping at the U.S.; the UK beckons, with a significant demand for innovative rehabilitation solutions amidst the latest NICE guidelines.

“Having access to the National Robotarium’s state-of-the-art office and lab facilities, including its ecosystem of collaborators, industry experts and academic teams, has been vital in helping us to develop our product.”

Lisa Farrell is Business Development Manager at the National Robotarium. She said:

“With an ageing population, demand for robotic solutions to assist in the rehabilitation of those who’ve experienced a stroke will be in great demand. Stroke is the leading cause of disability worldwide1, so Bioliberty’s product is addressing a global need, which is one of the core missions of the National Robotarium.

“The National Robotarium’s mission is to develop robotic and AI solutions which make people safer, healthier and more productive and working with tenant companies, we want to provide a catalyst for entrepreneurship, and deliver economic and societal benefits.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord said:

“This pioneering technology has the potential to become a vital tool for health professionals to help improve stroke patients’ care during their rehabilitation process.

“The UK Government has invested £21 million in the National Robotarium helping foster world-leading research and support high quality jobs, investment and growth, as part of our more than £2.7 billion investment to level up across Scotland.”

DeepTech Launchpad gives Scottish entrepreneurs exclusive access and funding

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Scottish entrepreneurs will be given access to ground-breaking discoveries and innovations that have the potential to reshape entire industries thanks to a pilot programme being launched at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh which is supported by the Barclays Eagle Labs Ecosystem Partnership Programme, funded by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology.

Deep technology or “deeptech” harnesses major scientific discoveries or engineering innovations and has the potential to revolutionise whole economic sectors rather than leading to incremental advances in individual products, processes, and services.

Under the six-month pilot scheme, the DeepTech LaunchPad will give six entrepreneurs from across Scotland access to experts, facilities and equipment within Heriot-Watt University and the National Robotarium.

“Deep-tech isn’t about organic improvement – it’s about harnessing the latest scientific research and engineering breakthroughs to create companies that will disrupt their industries and grow to a global scale.”

Entrepreneurs will also receive training and support from the university’s commercialisation team, helping them to become investment-ready with proven prototype products, industry partners and a viable route to market.

If the pilot scheme is a success then DeepTech LaunchPads have the potential to be rolled out across other Scottish universities.

Grant Wheeler, Head of Commercialisation at Heriot-Watt University, said:

“Having a deep-tech accelerator is one of the missing pieces in Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and will allow our nation to create companies that can compete on an international scale.

“Deep-tech isn’t about organic improvement – it’s about harnessing the latest scientific research and engineering breakthroughs to create companies that will disrupt their industries and grow to a global scale.

“Our DeepTech LaunchPad pilot will give entrepreneurs from outside the university access to the same scientific discoveries and engineering innovations as the students and academics who want to launch spin-out companies, levelling the playing field.

“We expect that the businesses that will be created will go on to attract support from other parts of Scotland’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, such as Codebase’s Techscaler programme and Scottish Enterprise’s programmes for high-growth businesses.”

Matthew Corbidge, Director, Barclays Eagle Labs, added:

“Heriot-Watt University’s DeepTech LaunchPad is exactly the type of game-changing initiative that we want to support through our Ecosystem Partnership Programme.

“Using our Ecosystem Partnership Programme, we’re allocating funding to organisations such as Heriot-Watt that are already plugged into their national and regional ecosystems.

“This isn’t about reinventing the wheel or setting up competing schemes – instead, this is about spotting gaps in the ecosystem and helping existing players to fill that need.

“Deep-tech is one of the most-promising opportunities within both the Scottish and wider UK economies and accessing deep-tech at the National Robotarium will help to create companies of a truly global scale.”

The six entrepreneurs chosen to take part in the DeepTech LaunchPad’s pilot phase will each receive a £15,000 innovation voucher, which they can spend on access to facilities and expertise at Heriot-Watt.

If their companies go on to successfully raise funding or hit operating profit targets then they will repay the £15,000.

 

Dr Ingo Keller

The National Robotarium appoints first Head of Robotics

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Dr Ingo Keller has been appointed as the first Head of Robotics at the National Robotarium, the UK’s centre for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.

A software, AI and robotics engineer with over 20 years of experience in science and industry, Ingo will lead the facility’s growing team of robotics engineers as they test and develop new technologies and systems to address real-world challenges. Current projects include robotics for sectors including agriculture, construction, manufacturing, aerospace and fisheries.

Ingo has in-depth, hands-on experience with a multitude of robotic systems, including all phases of software development, life-cycle management and DevOps tooling. He has co-founded a number of start-up technology companies in software architecture and database management systems, developing a keen understanding of the potential of applied emerging technologies for addressing industry challenges.

Prior to his new role, he was Chief Technology Officer at Xihelm, a London-based robotic harvesting solutions company, where he worked while completing a PhD in Data Augmentation for Human-Robot Interaction at Heriot-Watt University, where the National Robotarium is based.

On his new appointment, Ingo said: “I’m delighted to join the National Robotarium team at this exciting stage of its development and lead on the creation of robotics, AI and engineering systems that can truly transform people’s lives and work. My goal is to get more robots out of the lab and into the wild, and being able to talk directly to industry leaders about their challenges means we can develop safe, practical, and effective robotic technologies that can be seamlessly integrated into society.

“I’m also passionate about sharing the knowledge and expertise of our talented team to build robotics skills in different sectors, ensuring people are equipped with the tools they need to operate and manage robotics and AI, and promoting the positive benefits of these technologies to all.”

Stewart Miller, Chief Executive Officer, said: “The appointment of Ingo as our first Head of Robotics is an important and exciting milestone for the National Robotarium. He is passionate about applying his extensive expertise to new and interdisciplinary problem spaces and will be a great ambassador, working with experts in all fields of science and industry to advance state-of-the-art robotics systems.”

two white men stand at a dock load a fishing net into a medium-sized trawling vessel

AI-empowered fishing net to help prevent marine bycatch

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An underwater robotic sorting device which helps fishing trawlers prevent bycatch by identifying and sizing fish and other marine life in real-time is being developed by Heriot-Watt University scientists with support from experts in the National Robotarium’s Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) laboratory.

Funded by the UK Seafood Innovation Fund and delivered in partnership with Fisheries Innovation & Sustainability (FIS), Smartrawl uses AI-technology to determine the individual size and species of marine life captured inside a trawl net using images taken by an underwater stereo camera. It then releases or retains each marine animal depending on whether it qualifies against a trawler’s intended catch using a computer-controlled robotic gate.

Trawling is a fishing practice that herds and captures target species, like fish or prawns, by towing a net along the ocean floor. This method of fishing is known to cause discarding and bycatch, where fish or other marine animals are accidentally caught and returned to the sea, most often dead. According to global marine fisheries data, it is estimated that 46% of all marine fish that are discarded come from this method of fishing.

The brainchild of Professor Paul Fernandes based at Heriot-Watt’s Lyell Centre for Earth and Marine Sciences, the Smartrawl sorting device is being supported by experts in underwater autonomous systems at the National Robotarium and designed in collaboration with the UK fishing industry. It is able to fit into existing nets of all sizes of vessels and requires no additional cables due to the device’s patented gate system which works with the force of the water to rotate between open and closed states.

“Smartrawl has been developed to ensure that vessels only catch the fish they’re targeting, releasing other animals back into their natural environment quickly and without harm. As a result, we’re confident that discarding and bycatch could quickly become a thing of the past and our precious marine life preserved.”

Components of the project have already been tested at sea and further trials are scheduled for later this year [2023] in Shetland using the research vessel Atlantia, operated by the University of the Highlands and Islands.

Administered by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), on behalf of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the UK Seafood Innovation Fund supports innovative projects which aim to bring new ideas and technology to the UK seafood sector and is part of the wider UK Seafood Fund.

A white man wearing a blue safety hat stands on a fishing vessel at sea in front of two other men holding a fishing net

 

Paul Fernandes (pictured above), the inventor of Smartrawl, is scientific lead for the project. He is a professor of fisheries science and technology at the Lyell Centre at Heriot-Watt University. He said:

“More than 4 million tonnes of marine fish are unintentionally caught by trawlers around the world every year, as well as bycatch of sharks, rays, dolphins, critically endangered turtles and seabirds. The sad reality is that these creatures, more often than not, are returned to the sea dead or dying.

“Current methods used on trawlers are unable to distinguish between different species and animals or give skippers enough information to build an accurate understanding of the size of individual fish prior to capture.

“Smartrawl has been developed to ensure that vessels only catch the fish they’re targeting, releasing other animals back into their natural environment quickly and without harm. As a result, we’re confident that discarding and bycatch could quickly become a thing of the past and our precious marine life preserved.”

FIS Executive Director, Kara Brydson, said:

“The UK Seafood Innovation Fund supports bold and ambitious tech-driven projects that will enable a step-change in the productivity and sustainability of the UK seafood sector. That perfectly describes Smartrawl, and this grant will take us nearer to our goal of enabling UK fishers to select and retain their high-quality catch while releasing non-target species back into our seas.”

A small orange vehicle on 4 wheels moves across a field. It has a light metal glider on top that stretches out on either side.

National Robotarium sponsors farming robot to help care for crop plants and reduce chemical use

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A pioneering autonomous robot is set to help farmers better monitor the health status of individual crop plants and reduce herbicide use.

Experts from the National Robotarium, the UK’s world-leading centre for robotics and artificial intelligence, and the James-Hutton Institute will use Small Robot Company’s ‘Tom v4’ agritech robot to remotely scan agricultural fields to identify, locate and log individual weeds and crop plants. This information will then be passed through a complex AI algorithm to create a ‘treatment map’ which tells farmers exactly how much herbicide to use and where to apply it.

Current farming practices often rely on herbicides and nutrients being applied over entire field areas. It is hoped that the research partnership between the National Robotarium and James-Hutton Institute will support farmers to dramatically reduce chemical usage by only applying on field areas where weeds or crop pests are present.

As well as detecting herbicide efficacy, additional outcomes of the research project include collecting and reporting data on individual crop plants – known as per plant precision – to accurately monitor plant numbers and health, including their exact location and survivability, alerting farmers to any areas of immediate need.

“This ingenious robot will reduce herbicide use. It will also encourage the growth of healthy crops which are so vital for food security at a time supplies are threatened by the war in Ukraine and global population growth. – UK Government Minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord

It is estimated around one-third of the world’s agricultural products are pesticide dependent1, with the most common types being herbicides. As the world’s population is expected to reach 9.3 billion by 2050, a 60% increase in the rate of food production will be required, according to a recent UN report2.

The National Robotarium is part of the Data-Driven Innovation initiative, supported by £21 million from the UK Government and £1.4 million from the Scottish Government. The initiative aims to turn Edinburgh into the data capital of Europe and is part of the wider £1.3 billion Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal.

Lisa Farrell is Business Development Manager at the National Robotarium. She said:

“With demand on the world’s food resources set to rise significantly, it’s even more important that robotics and AI play an increasing role in assisting modern agricultural practices. Per plant precision agriculture is a fantastic example of how technology can help us to be kinder to the environment whilst supporting Britain’s farming community to be more efficient, precise and productive.

“The National Robotarium continues to be a leading collaborative hub, bringing together academics and global companies. Working with partners like the James-Hutton Institute and forward-leaning start-ups like Small Robot Company, we can drive efficiencies, accelerate growth and deliver economic benefit to the UK’s agriculture sector and beyond.”

Andrew Christie, Agronomist & Agri-Tech Specialist at The James Hutton Institute, said:

“Having the Tom v4 robot on site will expand our capabilities in terms of agricultural research and precision breeding. With possibilities for different cameras and AI models to be applied, the potential for this scientific tool is extensive and expansive. There will be lots of opportunities to explore new uses for the robot in research and it will add value to many of our research proposals going forward.

“Our first task will be to implement Tom in cereal trials to help develop and improve precision of in-field phenotyping as part of our flagship initiative, the International Barley Hub, bringing better understanding of crop characteristics to help us in our aim of producing the resource efficient and climate resilient crops of the future.”

Ben Scott-Robinson, CEO, Small Robot Company said:

“Our Tom v4 robot can see every emerging plant, water droplet, worm midden and early disease outbreak – supporting farmers to know exactly what to treat and when, with minimal chemical use. This is a world-first for scientific research and potentially transformational for plant science. We’ve worked closely with the farming sector to co-design our robot, developing an entirely new model for sustainable, efficient and profitable farming.

“The potential of this technology is phenomenal and the commercial purchase of our Tom robot by the National Robotarium and its subsequent loaning to The James Hutton Institute marks the start of a unique partnership. Together, we can advance research into how robotic technology and automated systems can support Britain’s agriculture and farming sectors to overcome industry challenges, drive sustainable practices and boost productivity.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord said:

“This ingenious robot will reduce herbicide use. It will also encourage the growth of healthy crops which are so vital for food security at a time supplies are threatened by the war in Ukraine and global population growth.

“The UK Government has invested £21 million in the National Robotarium supporting high quality jobs, investment and growth while helping to foster their world-leading research, as part of our £2.3 billion pound investment to level up across Scotland.”

Scottish Government Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray said:

“This innovative research is another example of the valuable work conducted at the National Robotarium, which benefited from Scottish Government support through the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.

“It recognises the requirements of farmers to protect the health of their crops while limiting the use of herbicide. Scotland can be a world leader in the development and use of AI in a way which is trustworthy, ethical and inclusive.”

The National Robotarium will be exhibiting at the 2023 Royal Highland Show from 22 June – 25 June as part of the UK Government Scotland stand (Avenue O, Stand 33P). The Tom robot will also be on display at the James Hutton Institute Stand (Avenue Q, 22-23 June only).

Healthcare robot with ‘sense of touch’ could reduce infection spread

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Deep tech robotics company and National Robotarium industry resident, Touchlab, has launched a first-of-its-kind robot which gives clinicians the ability to ‘feel’ patients remotely as part of a Finnish hospital pilot.

Controlled by operators wearing an electronic haptic glove, the Välkky telerobot is equipped with the most advanced electronic skin (e-skin) technology ever developed to transfer a sense of touch from its robotic hand to users.

The 3-month pilot at Laakso Hospital in Helsinki, Finland will see a team of purpose-trained nurses explore how robotics systems can help deliver care, reduce workload and prevent the spread of infections or diseases.

Touchlab is an Edinburgh-based start-up and has recently taken up residency at the National Robotarium, a pioneering new £22.4 million research facility which officially opened its doors in September 2022.

Informed by sectoral needs, the facility works collaboratively with partners around the globe to define, develop and resolve industry challenges through the application of robotics and AI. Touchlab will benefit from the National Robotarium’s incubation facilities, state-of-the-art labs and engineering expertise.

It is hoped that Välkky will complement existing staff, freeing up people to focus on more complex nursing tasks while allowing the robot to carry out day-to-day clinical duties like measuring vital signs including pulse, temperature and oxygen saturation. It is also able to serve meals, move assistive devices and support patient care with tasks like brushing hair.

Additional applications for the technology could include nuclear decommissioning and the handling of toxic waste, helping reduce human exposure to jobs that are potentially hazardous to people’s health and wellbeing.

The National Robotarium is part of the Data-Driven Innovation initiative, supported by £21 million from the UK Government and £1.4 million from the Scottish Government. The initiative aims to turn Edinburgh into the data capital of Europe and is part of the wider £1.3 billion Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal.

“Working with tenant companies like Touchlab, the National Robotarium continues to be a globally significant collaborative hub – bringing together academics and industry-leading companies and delivering sustainable economic benefit to the whole of the UK and beyond.”

 

Kirsi Ahonen is Head Nurse and project manager at Laakso Hospital. She said:

“Our long-term goal is for Välkky to assist in a variety of day-to-day ward tasks to ensure the delivery of comprehensive patient monitoring and care.

“While Välkky will initially be deployed on a smaller scale, it has the potential to help with a number of more complex jobs. This includes patient-lifting, which could help alleviate potential physical injuries for staff, and reduce the spread of infection.”

Touchlab CEO, Dr Zaki Hussein, said:

“It’s our ambition that the anonymised, real-time data gathered throughout the project will help prove that semi-autonomous robots can co-exist with and support professionals in a variety of industries like healthcare and the transition to greener energy sources.

“Having access to the National Robotarium’s state-of-the-art office and lab facilities, including its ecosystem of collaborators, industry experts and academic teams, will support us to put these findings

into action and to continue developing impactful robotics technologies that are changing our collective

futures.”

Lisa Farrell is Business Development Manager at the National Robotarium. She said:

“As robotic and AI technologies continue to advance, we increasingly have the opportunity to support people in jobs that are potentially hazardous to their health or physical wellbeing. Touchlab’s Finnish pilot exemplifies that opportunity, with benefits of the trial expected to include increasing nurse productivity and, significantly, reducing the spread of healthcare acquired infections.

“Working with tenant companies like Touchlab, the National Robotarium continues to be a globally significant collaborative hub – bringing together academics and industry-leading companies and delivering sustainable economic benefit to the whole of the UK and beyond.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland, Malcolm Offord, said:

“This pioneering research into remote robotic touch technology has great potential to deliver vital assistance to health staff, improve patient care, prevent the spread of infections or diseases and reduce human exposure to hazardous jobs such as handling toxic waste.

“The UK Government has invested £21 million in the National Robotarium to foster their world-leading research and support high quality jobs, investment and growth, as part of our £2.3b pound investment to level up across Scotland.”

Neil Gray, Scottish Government Wellbeing Economy Secretary, said:

“This pioneering research is a further example of the important work conducted at the National Robotarium, which benefited from Scottish and UK Government support through the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.

“Using robots to carry out routine clinical duties can free nurses to perform more complex tasks and revolutionise the delivery of health care. Innovation and the use of ethical and trustworthy artificial intelligence can help deliver priorities in our National Strategy for Economic Transformation.”

 

Crewless maintenance vessels to support offshore wind farm repairs

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Electric remotely operated vehicles (eROVs) that perform maintenance and repair tasks on offshore wind turbines are being developed by the National Robotarium in partnership with Fugro, the world’s leading Geo-data specialist. Deployed from Fugro’s uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), the companies are working closely together to explore how the offshore energy sector can benefit from advancing this autonomous technology.

The £1.4 million Underwater Intervention for Offshore Renewable Energies (UNITE) project aims to dramatically improve health and safety for workers by reducing the need for potentially hazardous offshore maintenance missions conducted by crewed support vessels.

The remotely operated robotic systems will address a number of additional sector challenges including supporting industry to reduce carbon emissions, improve offshore turbine productivity through reduced downtime, and make maintenance and repair exercises more cost-effective and timely.

The UK has more than 11,000 offshore wind assets around its shores, with thousands more planned by 2050. On average, each turbine requires up to three maintenance check-ups per year and this figure increases as turbines age and require more maintenance to stay fully operational.

Current industry maintenance methods involve vessels travelling into and working in areas of open ocean where a mix of trained divers and ship-based crews manually inspect and or deploy tele-operated robots for repair of individual wind turbines.

When applied to the whole of the UK’s offshore wind sector, this translates into potentially hundreds of thousands of crewed maintenance missions every year which are costly for business, contribute emissions to the environment and present a safety risk for workers.

In addition to supporting the uncrewed and remotely operated vessels, the pioneering research project will help develop autonomous and semi-autonomous ROVs capable of conducting subsea inspection, maintenance and repair tasks which can be monitored onshore whilst remotely deployed and operated from anywhere in the world.

Researchers will specifically focus on developing technologies which allow robots to build more accurate maps of the subsea terrain to better navigate obstacles and targets. The project will also explore how robots autonomously interact with underwater structures, such as grasping or moving objects, whilst being subject to external forces like changing currents or rough seas.

The project will be delivered by researchers from Heriot-Watt University and Imperial College London working within the National Robotarium, the UK’s leading AI and Robotics centre, in collaboration with Fugro and funded by the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council, part of UK Research and Innovation.

The National Robotarium is part of the Data-Driven Innovation initiative, supported by £21 million from the UK Government and £1.4 million from the Scottish Government. The initiative aims to turn Edinburgh into the data capital of Europe and is part of the wider £1.3 billion Edinburgh and South-East Scotland City Region Deal.

A middle-aged white man is visible from the shoulders up. He is wearing a blue shirt and brown jacket. In the background is an image of an underwater vessel with two large headlights. It is moving downwards in the sea.

Co-academic lead at the National Robotarium, Prof. Yvan Petillot

Prof. Yvan Petillot is academic co-lead at the National Robotarium and principal investigator of the UNITE project. He said:

“We’re only a generation away from our obligation to deliver on our net zero promises by 2050 and 2045 in Scotland, so can’t afford to let the challenges faced by the offshore renewables sector slow down the construction and operation of essential, green energy assets like wind turbines.

“Remote inspection and repair using robotic systems deployed in the field and controlled from shore is within our grasp. The long-term ambition is for crewless boats to be able to do this autonomously without direct human control based on a predetermined maintenance cycle – critical if we’re to see the widespread adoption of robotics in the rapidly expanding offshore wind sector.

“The National Robotarium’s partnership with Fugro presents an exciting opportunity to develop this next generation of underwater technologies as well as the skills and expertise needed to support the transition to net zero. UNITE has enormous potential to power the UK’s offshore renewable sector and beyond, delivering worldwide economic and environmental impact that can benefit communities around the world.”

Mark Bruce, Global Product Manager – Next Generation ROV Systems at Fugro, said:

“As the expansion and influence of marine robotics stretches ever further across the marine industry, we are committed to leading the industry’s remote and autonomous revolution. Key to this is overcoming the challenges of remote operations by increasing our awareness and autonomy level in the sub-sea environment. It’s an exciting time as we bring more USVs and respective eROVs into the market, working on commercial projects across Europe providing greater agility, safety and sustainability.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland Malcolm Offord said:

“This pioneering research into remote robotic systems will create the next generation of underwater technologies that will reduce carbon emissions, increase productivity and make offshore work safer.

“The UK Government has invested £21 million in the National Robotarium to foster their world-leading research and support high quality jobs, investment and growth. This is part of £2.3 billion for regional projects levelling up right across Scotland.”

Scottish Government Wellbeing Economy Secretary Neil Gray said:

“This innovative research is another example of the valuable work conducted at the National Robotarium, which benefited from Scottish and UK Government support through the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.

“It recognises the growing and changing requirements of offshore wind businesses and can help boost productivity in an industry which is key to the just transition from fossil fuels and promises to create substantial numbers of well-paid green jobs.

“As outlined in the draft Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan, delivering on our climate obligations is an absolute priority for this Government – but so too is our unwavering commitment to ensuring the journey to net zero is fair and just for everyone.”

 

New partnership with BE-ST launched at construction robotics event at the National Robotarium

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Representatives from the built environment, construction, trade, science and policy gathered in Edinburgh on 2 May for a half-day event co-hosted by the National Robotarium, the UK’s leading centre for robotics and artificial intelligence, and BE-ST (Built Environment – Smarter Transformation), Scotland’s innovation centre for accelerating the built environment’s transition to zero carbon emissions.

‘The Robots are Here’ marked the beginning of a new partnership between the two organisations, which aims to raise awareness of the benefits of greater automation and use of robotics in the construction and built environment sectors, and to develop new innovations that tackle industry challenges.

The event, held at the National Robotarium, based at Heriot-Watt University in partnership with The University of Edinburgh, heard inspiring talks from key figures at the partner organisations, including National Robotarium Chief Executive Officer, Stewart Miller, and BE-ST Head of Digital Programmes, Lynsey Brydson, alongside experts from science, industry and robotics companies.

Attendees were also invited to tour the state-of-the-art facility and enjoy live demos that showcased how robotics in the built environment sector can improve performance, efficiency, quality, and help to address skills shortages.

Robots on display included unmanned ground vehicle Husky, which can traverse and scan a variety of internal and external terrains, and quadruped Spot, which was used during the construction of the National Robotarium to facilitate 3D mapping of the building site using its bespoke lidar scanner and SLAM (simultaneous localisation and mapping) technology, completing the job – which usually takes several days – in just 30 minutes.

Taking centre stage was a live demo of the Hilti Jaibot, a semi-autonomous drilling and construction robot that can increase productivity in MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineering) jobs and remove the requirement for humans to undertake strenuous or repetitive tasks such as overhead drilling.

The Hilti Jaibot is a semi-autonomous drilling and construction robot that can increase productivity in MEP jobs

Ruth Plant, Project Manager at the National Robotarium who was part of the team delivering the event said: “We’re thrilled to host this event with BE-ST today and start our new partnership as we mean to go on, engaging with the construction and built environment networks and exploring the art of the possible with robotics for the sector.

“Robots have the potential of making many industries safer, more efficient and more productive. We are keen to share how we are applying robotics research to address practical challenges currently affecting the industry and I look forward to working with BE-ST on new innovation projects in this space.”

Matthew Paton, Associate Impact Manager at BE-ST, also part of the team developing and delivering the event said: “We have brought the construction industry here today to explore the use of robotics.; BE-ST aims to help industry access knowledge and achieve innovation that can transform their businesses to be more efficient, more resilient and achieve their zero carbon ambitions.

“We have been working extensively with industry to explore the many benefits of robotics and highlight the potential to support digitally enabled solutions that are scalable, sustainable and safer for workers in the sector. It’s been great to be part of today’s discussions and demonstrations and I’m looking forward to the exciting collaborations that we will develop with industry over the coming months and years.”

 

Grain-surfing robot the latest innovation to set up home at the National Robotarium

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A unique burrowing robot which ‘swims’ through grain bulks to ensure crops are stored more efficiently has been launched by agritech developer Crover, a new tenant of the world-leading centre for robotics and artificial intelligence the National Robotarium.

As part of its residency, the Edinburgh-based start-up will benefit from the National Robotarium’s incubation facilities, state-of-the-art labs and engineering expertise housed within its pioneering new £22.4 million research building, opened in September 2022.

Informed by sectoral needs, the facility works collaboratively with partners around the globe to define, develop and resolve industry challenges through the application of robotics and AI.

Crover’s t-shaped robot, which is being funded by Innovate UK, Scottish Enterprise and private funders, has been designed to offer grain aggregators, like farmers, better insight into the environmental conditions of grain crops, such as wheat and barley, when stored in sheds or silos.

The compact device has in-built moisture and temperature sensors and uses two domed-shaped wheels to propel itself through grain or other material in a bulk stack. It then feeds back analysis and data to a dashboard, giving users a more accurate understanding of the grain’s condition.

Temperature and humidity have a profound impact on grain storage and can contribute to the infestation of mould or insects which cause farmers to destroy significant portions of their stored crops. It is estimated that up to 30% of commodity grain is lost from the supply chain globally every year as a result.

Two men stand in hi-vis jackets in front of a grain silo holding a robotic drone with fins

Gianlorenzo Di Santis (left) and Founding Director Lorenzo Conti (right) from Crover

Lorenzo Conti, founder and managing director of Crover, said:

“Working with the National Robotarium has significantly supported Crover’s development by providing us with access to state-of-the-art office and lab facilities and an extensive ecosystem of collaborators, industry experts and academic teams. It’s rare to be surrounded by a team who understand what it means to develop complex robots and we’re excited to continue sharing Crover’s journey with them.

“Traditional methods like spear sampling grain are time-consuming and laborious and quite often impractical and dangerous. In practice, grain storage operators are advised to sample bulk stacks at every 50 cm intervals. The reality is that, if done manually, someone could spend the best part of a week carrying out a single store check depending on the size of their crop load.

“Our device is designed to be controlled from one spot and saves whoever is operating it many hours of work as well as improving accuracy. The robot can ‘swim’ through the grain quickly generating a 3D map of temperature and moisture across the stack. This kind of insight can help people like farmers to better understand the condition of their grain and make informed decisions earlier like increasing ventilation or taking pest control measures.”

A man in a suit stands at the top of stairs in a corporate building

National Robotarium Chief Operating Officer, Steve Maclaren

Steve Maclaren is Chief Operating Officer at the National Robotarium. He said:

“The National Robotarium was launched with a mandate to assist all types of partners to accelerate research from laboratory to market, reduce cost and risk, increase opportunity and, ultimately, pave the way for the UK to take a global leadership role in AI and robotics technology.

“Innovations like Crover’s grain storage device – which could help solve a global problem for the world’s agriculture sector – are a great example of this mandate in action.

“The National Robotarium continues to be a leading collaborative hub, bringing together academics and global companies. Working with tenant companies like Crover, we want to provide a catalyst for entrepreneurship, and deliver sustainable economic benefit to the whole of the UK, its industries and society.”

UK Government Minister for Scotland, Malcolm Offord, said:

“It’s fantastic to see that farming and food and drink-boosting innovations like Crover’s new ‘grain-surfing’ robot will benefit from being part of the National Robotarium.

“Projects like this demonstrate the collaborative benefits the hub is providing, with resulting economic and environmental advances delivered to the UK.

“The UK Government is supporting the National Robotorium facilities at Heriot-Watt University with £21 million as part of more than £2.2 billion investment to level up communities across Scotland.”

Scottish Government Wellbeing Economy Secretary, Neil Gray, said:

“I welcome the development of this technology to help grain storage operators better understand the condition of grain and make informed decisions earlier.

“Technological advances like this show why the Scottish Government has supported the Robotarium through the Edinburgh and South East Scotland City Region Deal.”

LISTEN: Lorenzo Conti and National Robotarium Business Development Manager, Lisa Farrell, discuss how the National Robotarium is supporting Crover on BBC Radio Four’s Farming Today (broadcast 26 April 2023).

An image of a saltire and focus on head and shoulders of man in shirt and jacket. The typography is white and says 'Business Leader of the Year Finalist'.

National Robotarium COO nominated for Scottish Ex-Forces in Business Award 2023

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Steve Maclaren, Chief Operating Officer of the National Robotarium, has been announced as a finalist in the 2023 Scottish Ex-Forces in Business Awards.

The awards, the world’s largest celebration of military veterans in second careers, highlight the links between military values and business excellence, raising awareness among both employers and service leavers and demonstrating the value that military-gained qualities add to the UK economy.

Steve has been shortlisted in the Business Leader of the Year category having served 22 years in the Royal Navy as an Aircraft Engineer prior to undertaking his successful career in IT and digital solutions.

He joined the National Robotarium as COO in April 2022 and manages the facility’s growing portfolio of industry partnerships and robotics engineering projects, as well as digital transformation and other strategic initiatives. Prior to this, Steve was lead IT and Digital Business Partner for aeronautical company Leonardo UK, where he co-ordinated teams of engineers, project managers and partner companies to deliver complex digital solutions for technical and logistics contracts, primarily for the Ministry of Defence.

Steve said: “I am honoured to be shortlisted for a Scottish Ex-Forces in Business Award by my peers in the Armed Forces. My career since retiring from the Navy has led me to a number of diverse and interesting technology and data-oriented roles, culminating in my current position as COO at the National Robotarium, the UK’s leading centre for robotics and AI.

“In this, and previous business leadership roles, I have been able to apply a wealth of problem-solving skills and technical expertise that I developed during my 22 years of military service. The benefits of my time spent in the forces still resonate today and I am grateful to have had the opportunity to serve.”

Lt. Gen. Sir Andrew Gregory, CEO at SSAFA, the official charity partner who are sponsoring the event, said:

“As a former Chief of Defence People, I know just how important it is to have strong visibility both of the wide breadth of forces friendly employers and of veterans who have transitioned into meaningful second careers – these awards lead the way in amplifying that visibility.

“Our warmest congratulations but also sincere thanks must go to all of those who have been shortlisted for this year’s Scottish Ex-Forces in Business Awards for setting such a great example of how military-gained skills and values can be successfully applied across all sectors.”

The winners are decided by an independent judging panel, made up of 20 veterans and business leaders from major Scottish employers such as Addleshaw Goddard, Barclays, JPMorgan, Edrington and the Scottish Government, and will be announced at a special ceremony and gala dinner on 18 April in Glasgow.

Heriot-Watt University

Heriot-Watt University
Edinburgh, Scotland
UK EH14 4AS

Scottish registered charity number SC000278

The University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh
Edinburgh, Scotland
EH8 9YL

Scottish registered charity number SC005336

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