A UK-based AI startup has been at work designing a robot that can replace humans carryout out tasks in hazardous conditions.
Oxford Dynamics developed Strider with support from a £1 million contract with the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).
The project aims to improve safety in environments with chemical, biological, or nuclear threats, as well as areas with lethal radiation exposure.
The robot can collect contaminated materials, seal them in containers, and carry out semi-autonomous tasks. It navigates challenging terrains using advanced technologies like infrared, radar, and lidar (light detection and ranging).
“Ultimately, we aim to produce 100, perhaps 1,000, or even 10,000 Strider robots for the betterment of society,” said Mike Lawton, one of Oxford Dynamics’ directors, in a statement.
Advanced robotics for safety
Oxford Dynamics began designing the Strider robot in November and plans to deliver it to the UK’s Defence Science and Technology Laboratory by September.
Strider is equipped with infrared, radar, and lidar systems, enabling it to navigate and operate in difficult and unknown terrains.
It is designed to carry out tasks such as retrieving contaminated objects and sealing them in containers, as well as performing semi-autonomous activities that are challenging for humans wearing personal protective equipment.
The robot , which is made specifically for the Department of Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, can work in areas that are out of the operator’s direct line of sight, negotiate dangerous terrain, and carry out a variety of semi-autonomous activities, according to the BBC .
Based at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the company is able to test and assess the sophisticated AI robot in a variety of typical terrains.
It is anticipated that it might be employed following events like to the 2018 Salisbury Novichok incident, where a former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned by nerve agent.
“Strider is ultimately intended to assist Defra in their role encompassing environmental remediation and recovery following Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) incidents in the UK,” said the firm in a post on X.
AI-powered solutions
The company intends to enhance Strider’s capabilities by integrating its AVIS AI software, which stands for A Very Intelligent System and is inspired by JARVIS from the Iron Man films.
AVIS is an advanced AI -powered automated visual inspection solution that revolutionizes the inspection process. It increases inspection volume, reduces missed defects, and significantly cuts operating and capital expenses.
Unlike traditional AI development methods, AVIS eliminates the need for highly skilled, costly, and hard-to-find talent resources.
Oxford Dynamics is working on several AI tools of the future that handle data far more human-like. This lessens cognitive load and preserves complicated data’s distinctive value, which is sometimes lost when using traditional data processing methods, particularly when dealing with visual data.
“This is an exciting example of future implementation of AI, where an operator can simply tap on an object on a screen, and the robot will figure out the best way to pick it up, retrieve and store it,” said Lawton.
This includes determining weight, evaluating surface quality, and detecting objects in order to prevent the robot from overbalancing when lifting large objects.
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