Multi-purpose dexterity tele-operation robot for remote working and healthcare

COVID-19大流行为社会及行业带来独特挑战;如何在社交距离及旅行限制仍然存在的情况下保护生命、开放经济及确保医疗保健行业运作。这些挑战的形式包括国内生产总值可能大幅下降，由于缺乏现场专业人员执行关键检查和维护任务而对英国基础设施构成威胁，难以在物理工作环境中保持社交距离以及由于自我隔离的医疗保健专业人员而导致的员工短缺。Extend Robotics（ER）的目标是开发，扩展和商业化基于云的远程操作，高度灵巧的机器人系统，将远程工作扩展到物理领域。该系统将以可承受的价格点提供高度有效的通用解决方案，允许在危机期间在广泛的行业中大规模采用。这将提高安全性和运营效率，并将其带入正常运营。ER的远程操作机器人系统提供：* 用户硬装-使用消费级虚拟现实（VR）设备的低成本可扩展解决方案。*用户界面-直观和身临其境的用户界面，为非专业用户提供“真实的世界”体验。*机器人机械手-灵巧（6度运动）和强大的远程操作，增强人类的智慧。远程工作-用户可以在家中通过互联网云服务器进行操作。该系统的目的是帮助用户并增强人类能力，而不是取代人类互动。这对保持有效的工作做法至关重要。目前的概念原型引起了电信基础设施维护行业的兴趣，并正在进行开发计划，该计划将于2020年4月获得种子资金。管理团队与公用事业和电信部门有着密切的联系，但也存在许多其他用例，例如：* 允许免疫抑制的医疗保健专业人员在家远程执行任务，防止污染。自隔离检测和维护专业人员为关键基础设施站点提供“实践专业知识”。这笔赠款将用于改进核心技术，寻求医疗保健行业的试验和商业案例;案例研究将推动更大规模的实施，用于多种应用中的大规模生产系统。

The COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique challenge for society and industry; how to protect lives, open up the economy and ensure a functioning healthcare sector whilst social distancing and restrictions on travel remain. These challenges come in the form of a potential significant drop in GDP, threats to UK infrastructure due to lack of in-situ professionals for critical inspection and maintenance tasks, difficulties maintaining social distance in physical work environments and staff shortage due to self-isolating healthcare professionals.Extend Robotics' (ER) aim is to develop, scale and commercialize a cloud-based, teleoperated, highly dexterous robotic system which will extend remote working into the physical domain. The system will offer a highly effective universal solution at an affordable price point allowing massive adoption across a wide range of sectors during the crisis. This will result in improved safety and operating efficiencies that will be carried forward into normal operations.ER's remotely operated robotic system offers:* USER HARDWEAR - Low-cost scalable solution, using consumer Virtual Reality (VR) equipment.* USER INTERFACE - Intuitive and immersive user interface for non-expert users to operate offering "real world" experience.* ROBOTIC MANIPULATOR - Dexterous (6 degrees of movement) and robust teleoperation by augmenting human intelligence.* REMOTE WORKING - Users can operate from home over internet cloud servers.The aim of the system is to aid the user and augment human capability, not replace human interaction. This is critical in maintaining efficient working practices. The current concept prototype garnered interest in the telecom infrastructure maintenance sector with an ongoing development plan which lead to seed funding in April 2020\. The management team has strong connections with the utility and telecommunications sector, but many other use cases exist such as:* Allowing immunosuppressed healthcare professionals to remotely perform tasks from home preventing contamination.* Self-isolating inspection and maintenance professionals providing "hands-on expertise" to critical infrastructure sites.This grant will be used to improve the core technology, seek trials and business cases in the healthcare sector; a case study that will drive a larger scale implementation a for mass production system in multiple applications.