Construction Productivity: What We Learned at MACE’s Build Smart, Build Better Event
The Construction Productivity Challenge The UK’s construction industry is entering one of the most significant periods of change in its history. With more than £700 billion of infrastructure projects planned over the coming decade, the sector faces growing pressure to deliver more, faster and more efficiently. At the same time, [...]
Industrial AI – From Hype to Reality: Key Takeaways from the IDAIC Workshop
While London sweltered under record-breaking temperatures, inside Digital Catapult’s offices on Euston Road, another challenge was taking centre stage: how artificial intelligence (AI) can help in the decarbonisation of the UK’s most energy-intensive industries. The latest Industrial Decarbonisation AI Coalition (IDAIC) workshop brought together industrial companies, AI developers, researchers, investors [...]
Why Integrated Sensing and Intelligent Inspection Are Becoming Critical for Modern Industry
Modern industries face growing pressure to improve efficiency, reduce waste, increase productivity, and strengthen operational safety. At the same time, many industrial environments are becoming more complex and data-driven. Traditional inspection and monitoring methods often struggle to keep pace with these demands. As a result, industries increasingly rely on integrated [...]
The UK Robotics Revolution Is Already Underway
The UK robotics sector stands at a pivotal moment. For years, industries viewed robotics and automation as futuristic concepts. The technology looked exciting in theory, but many businesses struggled to apply it in real-world environments. Today, that perception is changing rapidly. techUK’s recently published report, Seizing the Robotics Opportunity, highlights [...]
Inside AMRC Castings: advancing metal casting through intelligent inspection
Following a full day of filming at Glass Futures and a very comfortable night at the impressive Crowne Plaza Sheffield, Sarah and Gary made the short journey to the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)’s castings facility. Here, they continued to capture the people, partnerships, and technologies behind [...]
IRIFIO in Action: Filming Advanced Inspection Technologies at Glass Futures
Capturing the people, partnerships and technology behind a major UK innovation project March 2026 marked the conclusion of the ambitious IRIFIO (Intelligent Robotic Inspection for Foundation Industry Optimisation) project, a six-year innovation programme bringing together research organisations and industrial partners to tackle major challenges facing the UK’s foundation industries. Like [...]
Showcasing Robotics, AI and Stereo Vision: Tom Tugendhat MP Visits i3D robotics
Showcasing UK Innovation in Robotics and Inspection Last week, Tom Tugendhat MP visited our premises in Tonbridge, shared with our collaboration partner, IS-Instruments, to see how the company’s technologies are helping improve quality assurance across a range of industrial sectors. During the visit, the team demonstrated several systems developed through [...]
Team Days: Strengthening Collaboration Through Shared Experiences
At i3D robotics, collaboration is at the heart of everything we do. Our work, developing advanced stereo-vision and 3D imaging solutions for industry and research, depends on the close cooperation of engineers, scientists, and technical specialists who bring a wide range of expertise to every project. This ethos of collaboration [...]
Dark Glass Defect Detection Enabled By Stereo Vision Systems.
Detecting defects in dark glass is a considerable challenge, but successful detection offers notable environmental and economic benefits. In late 2024, through the Tenfold NetZero Accelerator, i3D robotics (i3D) collaborated with Encirc & Glass Technology Services to tackle this problem in glass manufacturing, where opacity hinders quality control. Using i3D’s [...]
Driving Industrial Transformation: i3D robotics and the Power of IDAIC Collaboration
The Industrial Digitalisation and Automation Collaboration (IDAIC) is a UK-wide initiative uniting some of the country’s most forward-thinking organisations in manufacturing, research, and technology. Its mission is clear: accelerate industrial innovation, improve efficiency, and enable the transition towards sustainable, digitally enabled production. In an era marked by global competition, resource [...]
The Evolution of M & E Tunnel Installations
Automation has long been recognised as a faster, more cost-effective method of installing mechanical and electrical services into tunnel infrastructure. However, achieving the precision required for installations on the dynamic interface of a tunnel has proved challenging. Boring tunnels for large transportation infrastructure are typically achieved using tunnel boring machines [...]
DATA-IS: Advancing Automated Inspection and Assurance for Tunnel Infrastructure
Modern infrastructure projects demand high levels of accuracy, traceability, and long-term reliability. However, many inspection and verification processes within tunnel construction still rely heavily on manual assessment. This challenge formed the foundation of the DATA-IS project. DATA-IS, or Digitally Assured Tunnel Assets - Information System, was developed as part of [...]
