Case Studies: Remote Operations in Practice

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  Humans meet Technology

  Case Study /

  Humans meet Technology

  

  The field of Remote Operations is broad. It encapsulates many processes and technologies around the art of communicating and controlling at a distance, and yet despite our reach to ever increasing levels of automation, the future will remain human-centric.

  Humans have creative insight and an ability to learn across a broad range of platforms and problems which has remained unrivalled, thus far, by any piece of software. We have a unique way of understanding the world, no doubt coloured by the fact we observe our universe whilst trying to comprehend our purpose within it.

  From the invention of the first telephone in the mid 1800s, to the furthest human object, Voyager 1 – which still sends back packets of data from interstellar space – human beings have evolved alongside technology in order to keep exploring, furthering our reaches into space in an attempt to satisfy our curiosity.

  With each leap in human technical ability comes a change in the way we, as a modern society, interact with machines. Remote operations technology has seen the advent of busy airport terminals, automated factories and distanced control centres for mining operations. The technology we develop for space has enabled the development of more advanced processes on Earth, making us more capable, efficient and better able to support large populations in a safe and reliable manner. Importantly, technology will revolutionise the way we do business; not through replacing us, but through the support and thus streamlining of our services, gifting us the time to interact with each other on levels that will improve additively to the quality of our professional outcomes.

  Critical technical infrastructure, such as databases and integrated software tools, are the basis from which we can digest, analyse and model the vast amounts of information required to control and manage the systems and tasks for the future. One such inter-relational use for this type of technology was developed for the Undiagnosed Diseases Program in Western Australia (UDP-WA).

  Patients (currently children) with rare and sometimes undiagnosed diseases store their files in a Patient Archive, which as well as providing clinicians with access to medical records and summaries of symptoms in the form of collated graphs and tables, can even suggest possible diagnoses for a patient. Algorithms like this one grant clinicians the capability to compare patients against a multitude of others, in order to quickly see patterns where they might arise, and to suggest possible causes that might have otherwise been missed or negated. Healthcare practitioners use this technology as a guide and meet regularly in an Expert Monthly Panel meeting, an initiative by UDP-WA.

  The combination of technology-enriched decision-making coupled with the essential collaboration between experts helps ease cognitive stress on clinicians whilst simultaneously boosting their accuracy and certainty in diagnoses. This is an example where technology built for people enables people to better manage for the future workload.

  It’s anticipated that the implementation of human-machine cohesive environments will assist pathways to upskill and train for the sustainment of such technology, including how we deliver and share information to provide quick understanding across highly distributed and networked teams. Such capability goes together with the technology needed for remote operations – the art of executing tasks at a distance.

  The Future of Work Institute (FoWI), based in Perth, Western Australia, understands this need, and helps people and organisations thrive in the digital age. Employees at the FoWI conduct leading-edge research and translate and disseminate their research through collaborative projects and impact activities. Their world class researchers and staff have a diverse background involving analytics, worker skills and capabilities, work design, human systems integration, and public policy.

  The FoWI aims to understand the skills that are needed for the future, how they will be developed, and what organisational systems will enhance or hinder work to optimise the future workplace for creativity, productivity and growth.

  As we become better at adopting human technical services into the mainstream, we will become cleverer, and without losing the valuable human insight that enables us to solve problems. In the diverse and highly networked environment of the modern era, technology-enabled solutions will produce synergy between the practical (enhanced terrestrial applications and processes) and the aspirational (the pursuit of scientific discovery) to complete the loop of innovation. Remote operations technology can help us explore the universe and concentrate on the inspirational problems that define us as a species.

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  Robotics in Underground Mine Site

  Case Study /

  Robotics in Underground Mine Site

  

  The deserts of Western Australia may be isolated, but they are fertile ground for innovation, engineering activities and solution-based approaches. The field of technology that caters to the daily running of mine sites, specifically the ability to communicate to robots and machinery at a distance, is the field of remote operations. The benefits of remote operations technology were exhibited during a situation that unfolded in the BHP Nickel West drill mine in 2018.

  The mine, situated in central Western Australia, developed an over-pressurised pipe far underground in one of the drill holes. As the pressure in the water pipe rose, an exclusion zone was enforced such that only appropriately protected and equipped personnel could enter the area, in turn preventing anyone rectifying the issue. The situation was deemed too dangerous for humans to release the pipe pressure manually, however it needed to be released as soon as possible.

  Remote operations technology was employed to help solve the problem. BHP sought the robotics expertise of Woodside, which lead to Woodside teaming up with Deakin University, offering assistance on their functioning robots. Representatives from Deakin and Woodside joined BHP’s Nickel West and Technology teams at the site to resolve the issue. The team also gained assistance from the staff of the University of Texas, Clearpath (Canada) and NASA (Houston JSC), making this a truly global effort and an example of unbounded collaboration.

  The Nickel West team applied their local knowledge to ensure the robots could safely work in the underground environment. Work included risk assessments and contingency plans, machine coding and the development of a tailored Wi-Fi system for communications. The machine coding included re-configuring some of the robotics systems, including the addition of health monitoring software. The teams conducted above-ground test runs with a mock-up pipe that mirrored the shape and angle of the pipe underground. They tested a range of tools and equipment on both the Woodside and Deakin robots, determining the best option to be a ‘parrot beak cutter’ attached to the Deakin robot. Luckily the Woodside robot, nicknamed ‘Ripley’, was able to rescue the Deakin robot should it encounter difficulty. The teams then conducted a second test run underground before moving to the exclusion zone.

  The team was positioned just outside the tunnel entrance so that all personnel were at a safe distance. The robot itself could be controlled remotely; the first step was to execute the delicate task of manoeuvring the robot around obstacles to get to the pipe. The robot successfully cut the pipe and released the water pressure, battering the robot with water. With the pipe pressure subdued, the task had been completed successfully. Teams then recovered the robot.

  This situation demonstrated the ability for BHP, Woodside and Deakin University to work together as a team to conduct and complete a high-risk operation. They did so by utilising specialised technology and employing robotics equipment which could be controlled at a distance, in the interests of safety. The quick response of the vehicle to commands as well as the visual feedback and health-monitoring mechanisms meant that those piloting the robot could ascertain the environment in real-time, increasing the chances for mission success. Less costly reparations could then be made at the drill hole, as well as site recovery. The time frame was just over a week from identifying the issue to it being fixed.

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  Exploring with Remote Operations

  Case Study /

  Exploring with Remote Operations

  

  Remote operations technology enables us to communicate with, control and provide oversight for robotics systems at vast distances. Advancements in this technology continually push the boundaries of how far we can explore. Researchers at the University of Western Australia (UWA), within the Faculty of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, are preparing to test a robot in Antarctica. The robot will have the ability to conduct a series of tests on its watery environment, including searching for signs of life. If successful, it may be deployed on a deep-space mission to Jupiter’s moon, Europa.

  The program is being conducted by the Australian Antarctic Program and NASA. The robot itself must survive the pressures and cold temperatures of deep water – and be able to communicate through ice of potentially up to 20 kilometres thick. Figuring out how to drill through that much ice marks a unique challenge for engineers and scientists.

  The problem highlights one of the quintessential dilemmas of space exploration: that no one quite knows what the landscape will be like when we get there. Of course, by ‘we’, scientists mean humans that are vicariously present through the implementation of robots. If the robots encounter unpredicted terrain, they must possess the ability to adapt and be flexible (human traits), which will also require state-of-the-art software and an automatic capability to ‘think’. The UWA robot itself is a buoyant rover with two independent wheels to manoeuvre along the underside of the ice. This is an example of how the unique operating environment demands a novel design, creating knowledge, as we continue to disrupt conventional thinking around the way we design for purpose.

  Our beloved robots carry the human spirit across the solar system, to inhabitable locations. Particular robots spring to mind, such as the likes of Pathfinder and Curiosity on Mars, coupled with discoveries from the New Horizons spacecraft which allowed us to see Pluto in all its distant majesty. They bring with them the crucial equipment to communicate back to Earth. The ability for them to do so is mission-critical; humans cannot learn about our solar system without robust and reliable communications.

  If we expand our definition of robotics, to that of remote operations, we now consider the possibility of human-inhabited outposts and someday, colonies on the Moon and Mars. The methods by which we attend to these platforms is provided by technology directly relating to the field of remote operations. The challenge of the next decade will be to aggregate the suite of technologies that enable the control, management and logistics of these platforms (including habitats, infrastructure, and resourcing sites) to give humans a sustained presence beyond Earth.

  The technology developed to achieve these goals will help us improve industrial processes on Earth and enrich our quality of life with the expertise we gain along the way. Likewise, the technology we create for Earth processes may be relevant to our aspirations in space. Space engineering requires precision and innovation; the harsh environments of space create some of the toughest challenges, requiring us to build upon what we thought of as previously possible.