DASA funded competition winners get to grips with telexistence technology

Entrants, in collaboration with Dstl and NDA, were asked to create a platform using Telepresence, Robotics and Haptics together. The three winners (actually four projects) are: TNO, Sheffield University and Cyberselves Universal (for both TEL-ND and TEL-MED projects)

Basically, telexistence technology enables organisations to undertake tasks – in hazardous environments – without physically being present.

These Phase 2 funded projects are now due to run over the next 10 months and be placed through a series of representative trials, with results expected in summer 2023.

In DASA’s own words, the winners are described as follows:

TNO

TNO’s innovation HaBiTS, (Haptic Bimanual Telexistence System), comprised of robotic arms and effectors, aims to provide NDA operators with a high sense of telexistence and with the critical visual, auditory, and haptic cues required for effective, efficient, and safe task execution.

Sheffield University

The University of Sheffield’s MediTel (Medical Telexistence Platform) aims to deliver next generation medical telexistence technologies that integrate telepresence, robotics, and haptic technologies on one platform. This will help enable real time user interaction with remote environments and consultant interfaces to enhance Combat Medic Technician and Regimental Aid Post capabilities to reduce human risk of injury. The project is a collaboration between the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) and the Faculty of Engineering departments of Automatic Control and Systems Engineering (ACSE) and Sheffield Robotics.

Cyberselves Universal

Cyberselves are undertaking two projects aligned to different use cases, but using similar system components. Project one, TEL-ND, aims to design a cutting-edge telexistence solution that removes NDA operators from risk. The innovation enables operators to carry out their tasks remotely from a location remotely, utilising a robot, without adversely impacting performance.

Project two, TEL-MED, aims to design an innovative telexistence product that allows a thinly spread medical workforce to be present in multiple places at once while also removing them from radioactive, chemical or biologically compromised environments.

Telexistence Announcement

The competition was announced back in January, with a submission deadline in April, and the DASA invited successful applicants to its laboratories for evaluation of their systems against one of three optional use cases.

These were: Specialist Nuclear Decommissioning Tasks, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD), and Defence and Security Medical applications.

The original challenge was: “Solutions must enable the user to experience and interact with the remote environment as if they were physically there.”

The three winners are outlined above, but Phase 1 saw in total £570K worth of contracts awarded to:

• Veolia Nuclear Solutions
• Cyberselves Universal Ltd.
• Createc
• L3Harris Technologies, Inc – Robotics Division
• Holoxica Limited
• University of Leeds
• TNO
• Centre of Excellence in Terrorism, Resilience, Intelligence and Organised Crime Research (CENTRIC) at Sheffield Hallam University
• Digital Kinematics