BT has opened a robotics research facility at the BT Labs, Suffolk, which aims to place the UK at the forefront of robotics development for telecommunications and civil engineering.
According to the company, the 5,000+ sq. ft. facility will play a key role in developing robotic solutions to speed the deployment of essential infrastructure. It will see BT work with the university sector and other utilities to trial a new range of UK-developed robotics, which are applicable to challenges faced by both telecoms and utility sector civil engineering.
The lab is the first dedicated telecoms robotics test facility in the UK, designed to help BT engage with academia and technology start-ups as they develop robotic solutions to challenging civil engineering tasks. This includes addressing problems such as how to clear out blocked ducts, mend collapsed ducts and install new fibre network infrastructure without incurring the cost and delays that come with digging up roads and pavements.
New robotic locomotion and excavation techniques inspired by digging and burrowing mammals and insects, coupled with the latest technologies developed for space exploration, aerospace and medical applications are showing real promise for delivering so-called ‘trenchless’ infrastructure deployment, BT said.
Furthermore, magnetic, climbing and cable-traversing robotic techniques are also maturing, enabling proof-of-concept trials on wireless tower and overhead cable poles.
It is expected that the test lab will play an important role in supporting BT’s fibre programme, as well as facilitating collaboration with other utilities such as power and water companies as they roll out and update their underground and overhead networks.
The indoor facility enables research teams to trial robotics within a variety of test zones. The facility emulates three different types of environments in which testing can be carried out, including underground, in-duct and overhead environments.
Tim Whitley, BT’s MD of Research, said: “The UK is a hotbed of civil engineering innovation, with a thriving university ecosystem and an enviable robotics start-up sector. Our aim is to bring those players together in a dedicated facility to develop solutions that make the UK a world leader in telecoms civil engineering robotics.
“The lab will provide a hub for the creation of solutions to real world challenges and pioneering applications of robots, reinforcing the UK’s position at the heart of research and innovation into advanced technologies.”
Read more: BT pilots drone and AI technology with the Port of Southampton
