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Construction starts on National Robotarium
The National Robotarium is set
to open in 2022
Construction has started on a
world-leading research facility for
robotics and arti cial intelligence
(AI), the largest and most advanced
of its type in the UK.
Based at Heriot-Watt University’s
Edinburgh campus, the National
Robotarium is supported by £21m
from the UK Government, and
£1.4m from the Scottish
Government.
Expected to open in Spring
2022, it will create innovative
solutions to global challenges using
cutting-edge research, product
‘Galvanizing’ world rst
A tie-up between two businesses
in the Black Country and
Shropshire is delivering a
‘Galvanizing’ world rst.
Fastline Steel Services has
signed a multi-million pound
integrated manufacturing
agreement with Corbetts the
Galvanizers to exclusively use
Plant A at its Telford site,
guaranteeing over 15,000 tonnes
of perimeter steel fencing will be
galvanized there every year.
The decision creates up to 40
new jobs and safeguards a
further 80 more across the two
rms, marks a switch from dual
sourcing to a more strategic
partnership that will deliver
increased capacity and reduced
lead times and repeatable
quality.
“This marks the next stage of
a ve-year relationship and a new
way for galvanizers and
manufacturers to work together,”
said Sophie Williams, nance
director and general manager at
Corbetts the Galvanizers.
Corbetts, which celebrated
160 years in business in 2020,
currently galvanizes over 100
tonnes of products every week for
Fastline, with the second line
providing the opportunity for
exponential increases.
This, alongside the
introduction of a Kanban system
and a new approach to hanging
work, will speed up throughput
and allow both parties to meet
growth expectations.
Mike Fellows, managing
director of Fastline Steel Services,
added: “This is a very exciting
move for the business and will
help support growth plans that
will initially take turnover from
£15m to £30m over the next 18
months.”
Corbetts operates a number
of galvanizing baths, processing
over 50,000 tonnes every year.
design and industry collaboration.
Bringing together academics and
global companies, the facility will
provide a catalyst for
entrepreneurship and is expected to
deliver sustainable economic bene t
to Edinburgh, the UK and beyond.
Key areas of research application
will include hazardous environments,
offshore energy, manufacturing,
construction, healthcare, humanrobot
interaction, assisted living and
agritech.
Professor Helen Hastie and
Professor Yvan Petillot are joint
academic leads of the National
Robotarium.
Professor Hastie said: “As a
world-leading facility that will
promote entrepreneurship and drive
forward early-stage product
development, the National
Robotarium will play a signi cant role
in supporting the UK’s economic
recovery from the Covid-19
pandemic.”
Professor Petillot added: “The
cutting-edge resources provided by
the new facility combined with the
expertise of our researchers will put
us in a highly competitive position to
elevate the UK onto the global stage
in robotics and AI technologies.”
The National Robotarium will be
home to numerous research projects
aimed at addressing a wide range of
global challenges. As part of the
UKRI Trustworthy Autonomous
Systems (TAS) programme, in
November 2020 it was announced
the new facility will spearhead
research into ways to manage trust
between humans and autonomous
systems to support adoption in
scenarios that require human
interaction, such as in self-driving
cars or autonomous wheelchairs.
Rolls-Royce a step closer to the world’s fastest all-electric plane
Rolls-Royce has successfully
completed the taxiing of its ‘Spirit
of Innovation’ aircraft, the latest
milestone on its journey to
becoming the world’s fastest allelectric
plane.
For the rst time, the plane
powered along a runway propelled
by its powerful 500hp 400kw
electric powertrain and the latest
energy storage technology
developed to set world speed
records and enable a new
generation of urban air mobility
concepts.
The taxiing of the plane is a
critical test of the integration of
the aircraft’s propulsion system,
ahead of actual ighttesting.
The rst ight
The electric aircraft will clock
speeds of more than 300mph
is planned for the
Spring and when at
full power the
combination of
electrical powertrain
and advanced battery
system will power the
aircraft to more than
300mph, setting a
new world speed record for
electric ight.
Half of the project’s funding is
provided by the Aerospace
Technology Institute (ATI), in
partnership with the Department
for Business, Energy & Industrial
Strategy and Innovate UK.
Rolls-Royce Electrical director
Rob Watson, said that the taxiing
is an “incredible milestone” for
progression towards a worldrecord
attempt that will be made
later this year.
6 March 2021, issue 2 - Machinery Classifi ed
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