With just over one week to go until Robotics & Innovation Conference 2021, Robotics & Innovation meets speaker Dan Jones, space technology cluster manager at UK Space Agency who will discuss cross pollination of technologies for our journey to space.
Taking place on 23 – 24 June 2021 via virtual conferencing platform Swapcard, Robotics & Innovation Conference provides exclusive case studies and thought-provoking debate on current trends, technologies and future challenges.
This two-day online event will see a truly international range of perspectives on the use of robotics and associated innovation technologies via insightful presentations.
Name: Dan Jones
Job role: Space technology cluster manager
Organisation: UK Space Agency
What is the best thing about your job?
My job is pretty outwardly-facing; through work I’ve made connections and friendships in countries all across Europe and beyond, and have made a real impact
Occasionally the job entails a bit of adventure, too. In 2018 I travelled to the Moroccan Sahara Desert to assist with overseeing next generation autonomous rover field trials, where the Sherpa TT rover successfully navigated a 1.1km fully autonomous traverse in analog Martian terrain. Undertaking working meetings in the desert with no laptops or internet connection – we had only our sun hats and wits – was surprisingly productive!
Back home, it’s gratifying to work in an Agency that has an excellent relationship with industry and government, and represents a sector that captures the imagination of the public. I still get a little thrill when I tell people where I work!
How will robotics impact your sector most in 2021?
In 2021 we should see the second successful demonstration of an On-Orbit Service capability undertaken by Space Logistics’s MEV-2 (Mission Extensive Vehicle) spacecraft, following MEV-1’s successful refuelling of the Intelsat 901 satellite in February 2020.
More significantly, these missions are showing the world that OOS is a viable market technically and commercially, and will open up a whole new arena of commercial orbital activity. In fact, the UK Space Agency is funding up to two studies into a mission demonstrating robotics capabilities to remove pieces of debris from space, so the UK is certainly shaping up to be a player in this market.
On the exploration side of things, I’m sure everyone is aware of the successful Martian touchdown of Perseverance by NASA. Perseverance will use robotics software and hardware that will hopefully capture and prepare Martian soil samples for a return to Earth in a future mission. The Perseverance mission will be followed closely by ESA, who will launch the Rosalind Franklin rover, which features a raft of UK technologies, to Mars in 2022.
What’s your best piece of advice to a professional in your field looking to invest in or deploy/implement a robotics solution?
Identify best practice across different sectors. Robotics is recognised as a cross-cutting market, and while different sectors and markets have very different technical and regulatory requirements, discovering how other sectors have succeeded (or failed) in implementing robotics architectures (or new technologies and regulations in general) has instructed a lot of my thinking. I’ve taken useful notes from case studies in the manufacturing, automotive and IT sectors about different approaches to business.
This approach also helps to uncover unexpected synergies and potential collaborative partnerships. Who would have thought that precision robotics technologies from the Canadarm used on the International Space Station would end up being used in biopsies for breast cancer? And yet that’s just what happened.
Finally, keep an eye out for the wind direction in the standards area. There will likely be a move towards standardisation of certain robotics technologies, such as robotics interfaces and connectors, nozzles, docking places and so on as they proliferate; nobody wants to be stuck with another Betamax.
Why are you looking forward to speaking at Robotics & Innovation Conference 2021?
I’m looking forward to meeting people who might have an idea of how to take advantage of the growing space market, and who want to learn more about.
At the conference you’ll also be able to hear from NHS England Three, Sellafield, UK Space Agency… and more! You can view the full agenda here. All sessions will be available on-demand.
For partnership enquiries, please contact Nairn Foster at nairn.foster@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0) 20 8038 1774. For speaking opportunities, please contact Claudia Davidson at claudia.davidson@akabomedia.co.uk or by calling +44 (0) 20 8037 1777.
Meet some of our other speakers at Robotics & Innovation Conference Europe 2021…
