Feature

National Highways drives down the road of robotics

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.

07/01/2025 10:12:02

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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 business consulting and services company, 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.

On 20 September 2023, an ‘Industry Day’ workshop was attended by representatives from Jacobs, the University of Manchester, and National Highways. The team spent the morning discussing the breadth of challenges facing National Highways, then used the afternoon to prioritise these challenges according to urgency and impact.

As a result of the workshop, the CRADLE team presented several technology implementations to demonstrate the capabilities of robotics for the sector.

Read the full article in DPA's January 2025 issue

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.