Telecontrol with XR for Remote Human-Robot Interaction

The integration of extended reality (XR) technologies with intelligent systems offers new frontiers in remote operation and control, especially for environments that are hazardous, inaccessible, or require high precision. This project investigates the design and development of immersive XR-based telepresence and telecontrol systems that enable users to interact with remote robots or environments in real time, with intuitive, embodied control.

The project will explore how multimodal sensory feedback (haptics, vision, and audio) and immersive interfaces (VR/AR/MR) can be combined to enhance users’ sense of presence, agency, and situational awareness in remote settings. Using XR, users will be able to manipulate physical or digital objects from a distance with improved control accuracy and natural interaction techniques. Use cases may span across healthcare, search and rescue, space exploration, or industrial automation.

This research will focus on designing responsible, user-centred interfaces that consider cognitive load, accessibility, and trust in remote autonomous systems. The project intersects computer science, human-computer interaction, and robotics.

How to apply

If you are interested in applying for the above PhD topic please follow the steps below:

  1. Contact the supervisor by email or phone to discuss your interest and find out if you would be suitable. Supervisor details can be found on this topic page. The supervisor will guide you in developing the topic-specific research proposal, which will form part of your application.
  2. Click on the 'Apply here' button on this page and you will be taken to the relevant PhD course page, where you can apply using an online application.
  3. Complete the online application indicating your selected supervisor and include the research proposal for the topic you have selected.

Good luck!

This is a self funded topic

Brunel offers a number of funding options to research students that help cover the cost of their tuition fees, contribute to living expenses or both. See more information here: https://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/Research-degrees/Research-degree-funding. The UK Government is also offering Doctoral Student Loans for eligible students, and there is some funding available through the Research Councils. Many of our international students benefit from funding provided by their governments or employers. Brunel alumni enjoy tuition fee discounts of 15%.

Meet the Supervisor(s)

Nadine Aburumman - Nadine researches real-time computer graphics and leads the Graphics and Extended Reality Team (GERT). She is a member of the Centre for AI: Social and Digital Innovation, where she co-coordinated the AI Centre Thought Leadership series (TLS) for two years (2023 and 2024). She is also a member of the Interactive Multimedia System (IMS) research group. Before joining Brunel, Nadine was a research associate at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience (ICN) at University College London (UCL). Prior to that, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Computer Science Research Institute of Toulouse (IRIT) funded by Centre International de Mathématiques et Informatique de Toulouse (CIMI) after a successful grant acquisition (fellowship) for 2 years (€ 100K). Before that, she was a postdoctoral researcher at the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, in the Institute for Multiscale Simulation (MSS). She completed her PhD studies in the ALCOR Lab at Sapienza University of Rome after being awarded a PhD Erasmus Mundus Scholarship.
Tatiana Kalganova -

DEGREES AWARDED

  • PhD Napier University
  • Research-engineer degree Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radio-electronics, Minsk, Belarus
  • MSc (distinction) Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radio-electronics, Minsk, Belarus

ACADEMIC POSTS

  • 2000-present Lecturer Brunel University London
  • 2003-2011 Business Fellow London Technology Network, LTN Link between research activities at Brunel University London and industry
  • 1997-2000 PhD student Napier University
  • 1994-1997 Research Assistant Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radio-electronics

Related Research Group(s)

Human Computer Interaction

Human Computer Interaction - Investigating ways in which humans and computers can interact through intuitive interface design, understanding of human factors and multimedia.

Intelligent Data Analysis

Intelligent Data Analysis - Concerned with effective analysis of data involving artificial intelligence, dynamic systems, image and signal processing, optimisation, pattern recognition, statistics and visualisation.