ISA funds new research to make robotics and connected autonomous systems safer

Posted on Tuesday 1 September 2026

The new  projects have been funded for 12 months. Each aligns with ISA’s strategy, focusing on the challenge of making robotics and connected autonomous systems safe, societally acceptable and resilient in the context of a changing world.

The Institute’s cross-cutting projects address real-world challenges by drawing on the unique interdisciplinary nature of the research community, with each project team including experts from ISA’s three research pillars, Design and Verification, Communications and Assurance, as well as including external partners and stakeholders.

Co-Director of ISA, Dr Ana MacIntosh said: “ISA’s distinctiveness stems from understanding that its research is stronger and more relevant to societal challenges by being interdisciplinary. Our cross-cutting projects are the perfect example of this. We’re excited to see the impact this research will have and welcome new partners who would like to collaborate.”

Funded projects

Reliable Autonomy through Perception Assurance for Operational Robotics in Dynamic and Degraded Environments (RAPTOR)
Researchers are developing a framework that allows outdoor robots, such as those inspecting solar farms or industrial and outdoor worksites, to recognise when they can no longer trust their own sensors or connectivity and respond by switching to a safer, more cautious mode of operation. The project is being tested at ISA's outdoor solar farm testbed, with the aim of providing an industry-ready way to deploy autonomous robots safely in unpredictable conditions.
Project lead: Olufemi Olayiwola

Safe Maritime Autonomous Systems 
Following a successful first phase, researchers are extending their work exploring how underwater sensor networks and autonomous vehicles could safely monitor offshore wind farms and coastal defences. This next stage will integrate real-time control over 5G into the underwater network, alongside a field trial and public demonstration of the technology.
Project leads: Nils Morozs, Tian Gan

Semantics for Verifiable Maritime Autonomy (Seamantics)
Researchers are developing a framework that enables autonomous ships to reason using shared, verifiable knowledge, rather than learned patterns, so they can make safe decisions even when information is incomplete or communication is unreliable. The project embeds this knowledge directly into a vessel's control system, so it can communicate clearly with both human operators and other ships, who may only have a partial picture of the whole situation.
Project lead: Mark A Post

Drone Swarm for Fabric Manipulation (D-FAB)
Researchers are developing a framework enabling a swarm of drones to safely manipulate protective fabrics, such as fire-retardant blankets or camouflage nets, in disaster zones. Working together as a single coordinated unit, the drones could help emergency teams respond to hazards like fires or structural damage without putting people at risk.
Project lead: Jihong Zhu

The funding follows a sandpit event held in May, bringing researchers from across disciplines together to discuss research challenges and develop proposals. 

Find out more about ISA’s cross-cutting research.