Jacobs Signs New Team to Develop Innovative Robots

Resolve Robotics, based in West Cumbria, U.K., is joining Jacobs. The Resolve Robotics team brings an impressive record of developing innovative robots to serve the space, infrastructure, transport, nuclear and defense sectors.

The Resolve team brings with them both robotics and software expertise and intellectual property. The team will complement Jacobs’ existing capability with key technologies including MicroROV, a swimming robot designed for hostile environments, and the CellRail deployment system, which enables robots to build their own scaffolding-like structures in areas that humans cannot access.

Resolve’s robotic systems, wireless underwater communications and inspection technologies, supported by advanced instrumentation, custom electronics, innovative mechanical design and bespoke software, are applicable to a wide range of sectors where Jacobs already deploys robotic systems to support its work.

Its robots, some as small as a beverage can, remove the need for humans to work in hazardous conditions and improve safety by monitoring degradation, airborne contaminants and radiation levels in hard-to-reach locations. They also collect data to substantiate the case for asset life extension and allow inspection, maintenance and repair to be conducted on a wide range of assets using a single system.

“Joining Jacobs is the ideal way for the team to fulfill its potential, enabling us to apply our knowledge and skills on projects in many new sectors and geographies,” says Resolve Robotics founder Andrew Ludar-Smith, who becomes Operations Manager - Robotics Development at Jacobs.

“Our clients will benefit from a step-change in our capability to develop and deploy robotic systems in challenging environments,” says Jacobs Energy, Security & Technology Senior Vice President Karen Wiemelt. “Andrew, the Resolve team and their products have established an excellent reputation with leading U.K. organizations in the nuclear and infrastructure sectors and we look forward to introducing these technologies to new sectors and customers.”

In May, Jacobs announced we designed and built a robotic tool to retrieve sand-like debris from inside a damaged nuclear power reactor at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan. We also lead the European Remote Handling Alliance, which is designing robotic systems for ITER, the world’s largest fusion power experiment.