PUBLIC EVENT
Our second event in the newly launched series of online talks hosted by Academy President and software engineer, Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, was joined by Juliette Livet and James Kell from Amentum, and Roger Bailey and James Spikesley from Thames Tideway.
This event looked at how Tideway is using embodied AI through intelligent robots to upgrade their sewer maintenance for the huge Thames Tideway Tunnel. What does it take to adopt a new technology solution like this? What were the pitfalls and what would they change for next time?
Practical AI: Inform series
Series of online discussions, which will provide opportunities to share stories of how AI can deliver benefits for people and places. We will be talking to AI innovators, users and adopters about the reality of adopting AI and what they've learnt from the experience. Catch up on our last event.
Juliette Livet
Juliette is a robotics engineer at Amentum, specialising in remote operations and mechanical engineering. Juliette has been involved in the Tideway Tunnel Inspection project since the start of solution prototyping 2 years ago. She is involved in many social activities such as taking part in robotics challenges through CRADLE (Amentum and Manchester University partnership) and supporting a sustainable journey at Amentum by being a sustainability champion.
Roger Bailey
Roger was appointed to the board in October 2021 having worked on the project since 2012. His appointment strengthens the board’s commissioning and technical focus as the project moves towards the completion and handover stages. In the early part of the project’s development he was instrumental in defining the project requirements and agreeing the technical interaction between the Tideway asset and the existing Thames Water sewer network. Roger is a chartered civil engineer with more than 30 years' experience in the planning, design and construction of complex infrastructure projects in the UK and internationally.
James Kell
James is currently serving as the Robotics Technical Director at Jacobs Engineering UK Ltd, he leads the robotics and remote handling team responsible for developing and implementing systems to extend the lifespan of critical infrastructure. James works closely with clients capture project requirements, enabling the team to deliver innovative solutions that address client needs. He has successfully grown revenue and expanded the application of nuclear robotics technologies to sectors such as space, defence and utilities – in addition to acting as the industry co-director for the CRADLE partnership with the University of Manchester. James has previously served as an Advisory Board Member for the Robotics Growth Partnership sponsored by HM Government, in addition to several roles at Rolls-Royce plc in the aftermarket side of the business. With a strong academic background and a passion for inspiring the next generation of engineers, he also holds a Visiting Professor role at the University of Nottingham.
