This approach reflects the growing adoption of physical AI, where robots can be built and trained to seamlessly interact with and adapt to their surroundings in the real world. Through this partnership, autonomous systems will be developed through tightly coupled simulation, AI-enabled perception and decision-making, and real‑world validation. By linking academic research, advanced testing environments, and operational deployment, the partnership helps accelerate the safe adoption of autonomous robotics in safety‑critical nuclear environments.
Industrial collaboration is central to the research at ORI, and the Institute has a strong track record of integrating world-leading developments in perception, navigation, manipulation, inspection, and digital twin development, with real-world operations. The partnership enables ORI researchers to collaborate directly with AtkinsRéalis engineers, sharing world-class knowledge, and leverage specialised testing infrastructure to accelerate the validation and deployment of solutions designed to meet the safety and regulatory requirements of the nuclear sector.
