£1.3m available for telexistence innovations

Image courtesy Dstl

Telexistence technology has the potential to give those working in hazardous environments the capability to undertake tasks without physically being present, which can decrease risk and reduce the logistical burden associated with dangerous operations.

This is achieved using a remotely-operated system and relies on integrating:

• telepresence, which enables the operator to see and hear as though in the remote environment
• robotics / wearable assistive technologies, which enable the operator to interact with the remote environment
• haptic feedback / sensors which enable the operator to touch / feel the remote environment

Key dates and funding
The total funding available for this competition is £1.3 million. DASA expect to fund several proposals with a maximum value of £400k per proposal.

Submission deadline: Midday on Wednesday 6th April 2022 (BST).

Do you have an innovative idea? Read the Competition Document now and submit your idea.
What telexistence innovations are DASA looking for?

DASA are looking for innovators to develop a complete telexistence system. This will involve the integration of telepresence, robotic and haptic technologies on to a single platform. Solutions must enable the user to experience and interact with the remote environment as if they were physically there.

DASA will invite successful suppliers to our laboratories to evaluate the capabilities of their systems against a series of tasks that are representative of a use case. Suppliers will choose one use case from the following:

• Specialist Nuclear Decommissioning Tasks
• Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD)
• Defence and Security Medical applications

Upcoming events

• Telexistence Phase 2: Open Q & A
  Date: Thursday 27th January 2022
  Join this webinar which provides further detail on the Telexistence Phase 2 competition and a chance to ask questions in an open forum. Register here.

• Telexistence Phase Two: 1-to-1 Sessions
  Date: Tuesday 1st February 2022
  A series of 15 minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific questions about Telexistence Phase 2. Booking is on a first come first served basis. Register here.
   
• Telexistence Phase Two: 1-to-1 Sessions
  Date: Wednesday 9th February 2022
  A series of 15 minute one-to-one teleconference sessions, giving you the opportunity to ask specific questions about Telexistence Phase 2. Booking is on a first come first served basis. Register here.

Submit a proposal
Do you have an in-depth understanding of emerging capabilities, technologies, initiatives and novel approaches that may help better our understanding of telexistence technologies? Submit an idea and help inform Dstl and the NDA on developing a telexistence system that operates from a single platform.

Read the full competition document and submit your innovation.