WormBot

"Q-Bot specialises in robotic services in the built environment, that allow easier, cheaper, safer and more effective repair, maintenance and upgrade of buildings and infrastructure. Q-Bot will be the end user of the WormBot system providing robot enabled services, initially in the application of the underfloor insulation to buildings (at a fraction of the current cost, and with none of the disadvantages of traditional methods) using a robot to apply insulation in an environment which is currently inaccessible for human operatives without prohibitive disruption and expense. The service is already being commercialised (with the help of a much more cumbersome hardware) with a number of clients including Local Authorities and Housing Associations with over 100 sites successfully insulated and over 300 committed to by our clients.

This project builds on ground-breaking robotics innovation in the area of soft and flexible robotic manipulators by the Centre for Advanced Robotics @ Queen Mary (ARQ), Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) initially developed for surgical applications. It will develop the technology further, with a view of utilising it in extreme and challenging environments of inaccessible areas of buildings (initially), infrastructure networks (including sewers) as well as nuclear site inspection. The project will deliver a proof of concept prototype that will be validated in demanding environments as well as developing further the service robotics business model (and validating it in various industrial segments using the Lean Start-up principles)."