A young engineer whose County Durham company is pioneering technology that gives robots human-like touch sense has been handed a prestigious award for innovators.
Dr Atif Syed, who founded NETPark-based Wootzano, was awarded The Princess Royal Silver Medal by the Royal Academy of Engineering – a title that celebrates outstanding personal contribution to British engineering. The 31-year-old created an electronic skin for robots while completing a PhD in engineering and electronics.
To scale up production of the skin, which gives robots greater sensory awareness of their environment and allows them to feel as humans do, Dr Syed set up Wootzano in 2018. Currently the skin is being used within the firm’s robotic fruit and vegetable packaging system called Avarai which helps producers combat labour shortages and maintain quality consistently where margins are slight.
Avarai uses the unique electronic skin on a robotic arm and hand to estimate weight, prune, quality-check, and package fresh produce into punnets, which are in turn bought by supermarkets and find their way into our fridges. The technology is particularly useful in sorting vine produce and soft fresh fruits where are easily bruised by other mechanical systems.
Dr Syed said: “Winning the silver medal was an honour which recognises the important role the electronic skin plays in enabling robotics to be accessible to people. The Avarai robotic system is a testament of amazing work done by the entire team.
“Avarai is changing how fresh produce is packed and removing one of the most painful points for packers in the UK, Europe and other countries. With 25+ patents, Wootzano is in a unique position to truly make the dream of robotics for all a reality. We have only scratched the surface of what the possibilities are. There is lots more to come in the coming months!”
The other four recipients of The Princess Royal Silver Medal include Heba Bevan , CEO and founder of UtterBerry; professor Daniel Brett and professor Paul Shearing, UCL Electrochemical Innovation Lab; and Dr Oliver Payton, CTO and founding director of Bristol Nano Dynamics and founding director of ImiTe.
Professor Bashir M Al-Hashimi, chair of the Royal Academy of Engineering Awards Committee, said: “All five recipients of The Princess Royal Silver Medal for 2022 are worthy of this award, demonstrating wide-ranging innovations and making measurable contributions to engineering in the UK. The individuals recognised are emerging leaders in their fields and united by a commitment to improving society and the economy through enterprise, technology, and collaboration.”
Wootzano now holds 25 patents covering all aspects of the Avarai robotic system which is now integrated in various robotic systems. The firm secured a significant contract with a large fruit and vegetable packer.
