National Highways Demo Day

Robot Field Deployment with National Highways (UK)

Overview

National Highways inspection engineers have to negotiate slippery slopes at the side of busy motorways and get up close to structures like signage gantries. So, to make their jobs safer, the organisation is examining ways in which robots can help. CRADLE's first Industry Engagement Activity (IdEA) was organised for National Highways, a government-owned company responsible for operating, maintaining, and improving England's major roads. Prior engagements with Jacobs raised initial discussions on how highway inspection could be carried out more safely by using robotics and remote operations to reduce the amount of time people spend on the road in hazardous conditions.

Contribution

I contributed as the Technical Project Manager by facilitating team coordination, organising meetings and technical sprints, and keeping communication channels open across partners. I assisted in planning deployment events on test sites, supported logistics, and maintained consistent documentation to track progress and decisions. My role was to help the team stay organised, prepared, and supported throughout the project's development and field activities.

CRADLE's academic team during the demo day