Ulster University and GLeonard Limited KTP 24_25 R1

A robotic system is being built to tear down industrial furnaces and kilns, replacing workers who currently do the job by hand. The problem is straightforward: demolishing the firebrick linings of furnaces in industries like steel, glass, and cement is dangerous, slow, and physically punishing. Workers breathe in silica dust and other hazardous particles, and the heavy manual labour causes long-term injury. Current demolition methods also take days or weeks, keeping furnaces offline and costing companies significant money. The researchers aim to build a semi-autonomous robot that can enter these hot, dusty environments and break apart the refractory linings without a person inside. If the system works, demolition time could shrink from days to hours. More importantly, the health and safety risk to workers would drop sharply—no more exposure to airborne toxins or crushing injuries from falling brick. For industries that rely on continuous furnace operation, faster turnaround means less downtime and lower costs. The project is applied engineering, not fundamental science: it takes existing robotics and sensor technology and adapts it for a harsh, specific industrial setting. The payoff is a quieter, safer, and more efficient way to do a dirty job that has barely changed in decades.