Healthcare and Science thomsonreuters.com

My research into robotics has led me on a lot of adventures, from human-machine interfaces for intelligent wheelchairs to flying robots for security surveillance.

My experience in developing advanced mobile robots for manufacturing applications was gained over a nine year period at Oxford University and one of my main areas of interest have been in using robotics for human rehabilitation.

I am currently involved in an EU-funded project called SHOAL, which is about the search and monitoring of harmful contaminations and pollutants using a swarm of robotic fish. Our main aim for this is to detect sources of pollution, like leaks in docked vessels.

For the first time in the world, a school of our robotic fish will be released into the Spanish port of Gijon in 2011. Each robot is 5-foot-long and battery powered. They will mimic the swimming movements of a seal or dolphin.

They have sensors to monitor oxygen levels in the water and with these sensors they can detect abnormalities like oil spilled from ships and contaminants pumped into the water from underground pipes.

The robots gather the information and transmit it to the port's control center using a wireless Internet signal when the devices come to the surface. The data gathered can be used to create a 3-D pollution map of the harbor's radius.

Our fish don't need remote guidance as their sensors can help them avoid obstacles such as rocks or moving ships.  They can also swap navigational information with each other using a form of sonar. They are very clever!

When their batteries are nearing the end of their eight-hour capacity, they then swim back to a power hub to recharge.

This project has six partners, including the BMT Group, all with different areas of expertise and over the next three years we hope to contribute greatly to the reduction of pollution in rivers, lakes and seas across the world. My challenge is to make sure the robots are robust so that they can withstand higher water pressures and more powerful underwater environments like the Atlantic.