Joe Louca

Email: joe.louca@bristol.ac.uk

Supervisors: Antonia Tzemanaki & Kerstin Eder

PhD Project Title: Trustworthy Teleoperation with Signal Delay for Space Applications

Research Group: Dexterous Robotics Group

Biography

I enjoy taking a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to my research, drawing on my varied academic and professional background. As an undergraduate I studied Biology and Chemistry at Durham. I have since transitioned through working as a Data Analyst for the pharmaceutical industry and as a Systems Engineer for the nuclear and defence industries.

My robotics interests tend to lie in applications to extreme environments, such as space, nuclear clean-up and environmental applications. For my Master’s research project, I investigated the potential for using Microbial Fuel Cells to clean up microplastic pollution while acting as a power source.

I am currently exploring the use of teleoperated robots for space applications such as in-orbit servicing & maintenance of satellites, and regolith sample collection on the lunar surface. In particular, I am researching how we can build trust that these systems will work as intended when faced with the long signal delays that occur when operating over such large distances.

This project is carried out in partnership with Thales Alenia Space.