Monday 21 November 2016

Funding worth £750k offered for robot power packs

Organisations can now apply for funding to develop on-board power generators for robots.

The Centre for Defence Enterprise (CDE) is offering a share of £750,000 to any group that can offer a promising concept for replacing the batteries on a robot with a small, lightweight power generator.

The CDE needs to find a technology to improve the operating time of robots from minutes into days. The solution needs to be able to fit on the robot without getting in the way of its tasks and requires a high energy density of more than 1,000 watt hours per kilogram.

The autonomous systems it would help power would be used primarily by the military, for functions including resupply and logistics.

The projects that do the best will have the chance to enter a second round of funding.

The deadline for applications is 1 February 2017. Phase 1 projects are expected to be worth between £40,000 and £80,000 and last up to nine months.