Journal

We investigated how extended reality (XR), haptic feedback, and task-parameterized Gaussian mixture regression (TP-GMR) can be fused into a single teleoperation framework for electric vehicle (EV) battery disassembly. The work demonstrates how variable autonomy lets operators fluidly hand tasks to the robot while constraint barrier functions guarantee safe tool motion inside tightly constrained battery modules.

At the United Kingdom National Nuclear Laboratory (KM Talks series) I presented our probabilistic framework for recognising operator intent during mobile manipulation. The talk focused on how dual-phase inference lets robots anticipate navigational goals and manipulation targets fast enough for collaborative tasks in hazardous settings.

We studied how a mobile Jackal robot equipped with AI-based visual crack detection can support inspectors working in nuclear facilities. By teaming humans with perception-enabled robots, the workflow reduces exposure to hazardous areas and lowers the cognitive load that comes with manual inspections.

This preprint explores how to augment our GUIDER framework with vision-language and language-only models to filter relevant objects and locations during collaborative manipulation. The goal is to let the robot reason about user prompts in natural language, refine its belief over tasks, and shift autonomy only when the model is confident about the operator’s intent.

We introduced GUIDER—Global User Intent Dual-phase Estimation for Robots—to recognise what a teleoperator wants to do during mobile manipulation without constraining their control. The framework maintains coupled navigation and manipulation belief layers so the robot can anticipate both where a human is heading and which object they plan to manipulate.

During the Workshop on the Role of Innovation in the Nuclear Back-End, I joined a panel on harnessing robotics and advanced technologies for safer, more efficient decommissioning activities. We unpacked how autonomous systems and human-robot teaming can accelerate dismantling timelines while maintaining safety margins.

This article surveys the state of the art in variable autonomy for mobile manipulators, with an emphasis on hazardous environments such as nuclear decommissioning, search and rescue, and battery recycling. We synthesise how human-robot teaming strategies adapt autonomy levels to operator workload, communication delays, and mission uncertainty.

We developed a robotic workflow that automates electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) for electric vehicle batteries. A KUKA KR20 mounted on a 5 m rail cooperates with a custom end-of-arm potentiostat to deliver repeatable connections, measure impedance spectra, and let human operators intervene whenever necessary.