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Force and tactile sensing has experienced a surge of interest over recent decades, as it conveys a range of information through physical interaction. Tactile sensors aim to obtain tactile information (including pressure, texture etc.). However, current tactile sensors have difficulties in accurately acquiring force signals with regards to magnitude and direction. This is because tactile sensors such as the GelSight sensor estimate shear forces from discrete markers embedded in a compliant sensor interface, employing image processing techniquesthe resultant force errors are sizeable. This paper presents a novel design for a force/tactile sensor, namely the F-TOUCH (Force and Tactile Optically Unified Coherent Haptics) sensor, representing an advancement on current vision-based tactile sensors. In addition to acquiring geometric features at a high spatial resolution, our sensor incorporates a number of deformable structural elements allowing us to measure translational and rotational force and torque along six axes with high accuracy. The proposed sensor contains three key components: a coated elastomer layer acting as the compliant sensing medium, spring mechanisms acting as deformable structural elements, and a camera for image capture. The camera records the deformation of the structural elements as well as the distortion of the compliant sensing medium, concurrently acquiring force and tactile information. The sensor is calibrated with the use of a commercial ATI force sensor. An experimental study shows that the F-TOUCH sensor outperforms the GelSight sensor with regard to its capabilities to sense force signals and capturing the geometry of the contacted object. Index Terms-Tactile sensing; force/torque sensor; contact sensing; vision; image processing; robotics I. INTRODUCTION orce and tactile sensing has garnered much research interest over past decades, for it admits of information gathering through direct physical contact between a sensing device and

Dealing safely with nuclear waste is an imperative for the nuclear industry. Increasingly, robots are being developed to carry out complex tasks such as perceiving, grasping, cutting, and manipulating waste. Radioactive material can be sorted, and either stored safely or disposed of appropriately, entirely through the actions of remotely controlled robots. Radiological characterisation is also critical during the decommissioning of nuclear facilities. It involves the detection and labelling of radiation levels, waste materials, and contaminants, as well as determining other related parameters (e.g., thermal and chemical), with the data visualised as 3D scene models. This paper overviews work by researchers at the QMUL Centre for Advanced Robotics (ARQ), a partner in the UK EPSRC National Centre for Nuclear Robotics (NCNR), a consortium working on the development of radiation-hardened robots fit to handle nuclear waste. Three areas of nuclear-related research are covered here: human–robot interfaces for remote operations, sensor delivery, and intelligent robotic manipulation.

Technology transfer involves the flow of knowledge from technology developers or possessors to technology acquirers that benefit from the knowledge. This article proposes a model for the evaluation of knowledge flow in complex technology transfer projects from developed to developing countries. The proposed knowledge flow model is built by combining the concepts of knowledge viscosity and velocity with the concepts of architectural and component knowledge. The model rests on the idea that the transfer of knowledge to resource-limited organisations such as those in developing countries requires a balance between viscosity and velocity on one hand, and between architectural and component knowledge on the other. The knowledge flow model has been tested on data sourced from three Earth-observation small satellite collaborative projects leveraged by Algeria in order to acquire small satellite technology from abroad and build local capability. The implementation of the model revealed that the collaborative projects enabled only the acquisition of a shallow form of architectural knowledge detached from the local environment. The findings are reflective of the limitations of the collaborative projects mechanism and the challenge faced by the technology acquirer to strike the appropriate component/architectural and viscosity/velocity balance.