Robotics and Remote Operations for Challenging Environments.
The Central England Branch of the Nuclear Institute is holding their first speaker event of 2026!
Many environments across the nuclear industry and other high-hazard sectors present significant risks to people, driving the need for remote operations and robotic solutions. This talk explores how robotics and remote handling have been deployed to reduce risk and enable inspection, maintenance and intervention in challenging environments, drawing on experience from fusion, fission and wider industry. Using examples from RACE and UKAEA, the talk highlights key principles for designing and delivering remote operations capability, the importance of learning from non-nuclear industries to reduce cost and programme risk, and how behavioural and organisational considerations can be as important as technical capability in driving delivery. While robotics technologies are advancing rapidly, deploying off-the-shelf solutions is often insufficient where critical considerations include long-term reliability, rescue and recovery in the event of equipment failure. The session concludes by considering how these approaches support the delivery of future facilities.
Speaker
Jonathan Snell is the Unit Leader for Remote Handling Operations at RACE, part of the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), where he leads engineering and remote handling projects that deliver of robotic systems in challenging environments and support fusion power development. With over 20 years’ experience in engineering and project leadership, Jonathan specialises in deployment of advanced robotics and systems that enable safe, precise operations in nuclear and other extreme conditions — building on decades of UKAEA expertise in remote handling. He holds an MEng from the University of Oxford and is a Chartered Engineer and Member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. At RACE, he works at the intersection of fusion technology development, industry collaboration, and real-world application of robotics to support the future of sustainable energy and critical infrastructure.
Light refreshments provided.