Extreme Engineering

Engineering in the Antarctic presents special challenges due to the remote location and sometimes extreme conditions found there. Located on the Brunt Ice shelf, research at the Halley VI station covers areas from space weather to atmospheric science and glaciology, helping us to understand how the world around us is changing. Instruments there must operate in a hostile environment when they are often inaccessible for months at a time. Here, Andy will talk about what it takes to perform research in this unique environment and his experience working at the station over the Antarctic summer.

Autonomous robots are destined for Dirty, Dull, and Dangerous missions. But what about the humans who have to operate these on site? Khris Kabbabe will talk about operating drones in Dirty (landfill sites), Dull (offshore renewable energy) and Dangerous (volcanoes and rainforest) places, and why drones are essential to our understanding of these environments.