Collaboration

Joint research and development with universities, research institutes, hardware manufacturers and industrial organisations.

Who we work with

Universities
Research questions, methods and students. We contribute engineering capacity, integration on real platforms and structured evaluation.
Research institutes
Domain expertise, test facilities and long-running programmes. We contribute robot software, experimental tooling and the link to practical deployment.
Hardware manufacturers
Robots, sensors and components. We contribute application software, integration work and evidence of how the hardware performs in specific tasks.
Industrial organisations
Real operational problems, sites and data. We contribute research-grade methods, prototypes and a clear account of what is ready for use.

We agree these points in writing before work starts. Clear answers at the beginning prevent most disagreements later.

Research objectives and technical responsibilities: What the project is trying to find out or build, and which partner is responsible for each part of the work.
Platform and data requirements: Which robots, sensors and computing are used, who provides them, and what data has to be collected, shared or protected.
Work packages and deliverables: How the work is divided, what each package produces, and when.
Evaluation methods and demonstration conditions: The criteria, baselines and test conditions used to judge results, and what a demonstration will and will not show.
Intellectual property and confidentiality: Ownership of existing know-how and of new results, licensing of software, publication rights and confidentiality terms.
The path from prototype to operational use: What would have to be true for a result to move from a prototype to regular use, and who would take each step.

Research data
Data is collected for a stated purpose, stored with access controls, and kept or deleted according to the agreed plan. Recordings that may capture people are minimised and handled under applicable privacy rules.
Software
Code is kept under version control with a clear record of authorship and licences, including the licences of any open-source components we use.
Intellectual property
Each partner’s existing know-how stays theirs. Ownership and use of new results is agreed in advance, including what may be published and when.
Confidentiality
Partner information is shared only with the people working on the project and is not used elsewhere without permission.

Initial conversation
A short discussion of the problem, the platform and the constraints.
Technical scoping note
A written outline of objectives, approach, open questions and a first view of work packages.
Agreement on the work plan
Deliverables, evaluation criteria, responsibilities, data handling and IP terms agreed by all partners.
Project start
Baseline measurements and the first development cycle.

Describe your organisation, the problem and the platform you have in mind. We reply to every serious inquiry.