Robotics and Autonomous Systems (RAS) Safety: a barrier or an opportunity for growth?

RAS Safety: a barrier or an opportunity for growth?

Institution of Civil Engineers, One Great George Street, Westminster, London, UK

Overview

The Hazards Forum and the National RAS Regulations, Standards and Ethics Committee are coming together on June 11^th to explore RAS Safety.

Many of the United Kingdom’s significant industrial sectors are advancing capabilities for smart machines, robotics and autonomous systems as an asset for enhancing productivity and growth. Reflecting a multi-billion-pound investment, these systems are proving to be critical to priorities for addressing labour gaps, health & safety, environmental sustainability, carbon net zero, and varied ambitions for international leadership in infrastructure engineering: Innovations cover the maintenance of transport networks; repair of communications satellites, nuclear waste management, manufacturing, tunnelling, farming, modern methods of construction and much more. Organisations driving such initiatives, however, report that the current regulatory landscape is hampering their efforts, with a lack of harmony, overlapping and conflicting requirements limiting supply-chain ability to scale.

This interactive session hosted by the Hazards Forum and the newly established National RAS Regulations, Standards and Ethics Committee is part of a programme to set out the Committee’s developing mandate to catalyse collaboration and clarify what regulators are looking to understand as risk profiles change with the implementation of these technologies. The Committee uniquely brings together a cross-section of regulatory bodies and public infrastructure organisations currently working with RAS technologies and is supported by an industry working group of public and private sector organisations to facilitate shared understanding and consistent approaches to safety and technology readiness assessments. We have assembled a panel of experts who are contributing to this effort to share their perspectives and prompt discussion exploring effective assurances that can develop trust and accountability, and thereby facilitate a competitive UK regulatory landscape for technology innovation.  

This endeavour presents a significant opportunity to not only advance proactive approaches to regulating RAS, but also pioneer ways of assessing broader emerging and novel technologies, including AI, dynamic control systems and software, sensing technologies, and others.

Chaired by the Office for Nuclear Regulation’s Marc McBride, Chair of the Hazards Forum Interest on Emerging and Future Technology; with the panel facilitated by Professor Samia Nefti-Meziani, OBE, Birmingham University’s Chair in Robotics and AI ,the evening is set out to assure interactive and informative discussion.

Speakers

Rav Chunilal, Head of Robotics and Artificial Intelligence at Sellafield

Talk title: Development and deployment of Robotics and Autonomous Systems in nuclear environments

Rav Chunilal is the Head of Robotics & Artificial Intelligence at Sellafield Ltd, the UK’s largest nuclear site. He is responsible for developing and deploying Robotics and AI technologies to decommission the site safely, efficiently, and cost-effectively.

His appointment in 2001 was as part of a move by Sellafield Ltd and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to focus on investing in robotics, autonomous systems and artificial intelligence as a key part of accelerating the safe delivery of the nuclear decommissioning mission.

Rav has united different teams to work together across Sellafield and other nuclear sites around the UK.  The collaborations have also extended to other government organisations and academia to share knowledge more effectively. Sellafield and the NDA have expanded their mission to share knowledge in the form of quarterly forums bringing together operators from across the industry and supply chain.

The advancements made by Sellafield and NDA’s robotics capability include research and deployment of robotics to clearing nuclear waste, inspecting buildings and equipment, and sorting and segregating wastes.  These efforts have made Sellafield a leader in the nuclear industry for applying robotics and AI technologies.

Anneka Wilson, Policy Advisor at HSE

Talk title: The importance of regulating RAS to ensure the opportunity for growth in Great Britain

Anneka is a policy adviser and works in the manufacturing team in the Health and Safety Executive. Anneka looks primarily at robotic equipment and emerging equipment and review the health and safety aspects involving employees working with Robotic and automated equipment. Anneka’s aim is to help HSE to regulate RAS in the workplace, allowing innovation to thrive but maintain the health and safety standards in the workplace.

Cuebong Wong, Senior Robotic Systems Technologist at National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL)

Talk title: Challenges and proposed pathway to improving reliability claims for robotic systems in nuclear decommissioning safety cases

Cuebong Wong (PhD, MEng, MIET) is a Senior Robotic Systems Technologist within National Nuclear Laboratory’s Remote Engineering, Design and Robotics team. He is a technical lead for robotic systems development, leading on software design, development, verification, and systems integration across robotics development lifecycle projects for nuclear decommissioning. Cuebong serves as the theme lead for NNL’s Robotics Core Science Theme, delivering an internal research programme and working in collaboration with university partners on emerging robotics technology to meet current and future needs of the nuclear sector. He is an active industrial supervisor for collaborative PhD projects, supporting research in areas of soft robotics, size reduction, inspection, non-destructive testing, and multi-robot control & coordination. Cuebong is a software lead on a robotics development project that aims to remove humans from radiological and conventional hazards in nuclear store activities at Sellafield site.

Michael Sinclair-Williams, Group Director HSQE at RES Group

Talk title: The use of technology in a Renewable Energy context to  improve safety  performance- our  experience to date!

Michael is currently  the Group  HSQE Director  for  RES (Renewable Energy  Systems), he has been fortunate to  work across a number of high  profile projects and in a number of sectors. He holds a First  degree in Environmental engineering, an MBA and a PhD in TQM and Risk. He is passionate about technology  and how it  can be used to  improve performance.

To book your place at this in-person event, please visit the Institution of Civil Engineers’ website here.