Nigel Hardy

About

Nigel Hardy is a pioneering researcher in industrial robotics, with a career spanning over two decades focused on error recovery, fault diagnosis, and sensor-based robot control. His most influential work addresses one of the fundamental challenges in manufacturing automation: how robotic systems can detect, diagnose, and autonomously recover from unexpected failures. His 1983 paper on knowledge-based error recovery in industrial robots (37 citations) laid early groundwork for intelligent fault-tolerant robotics, introducing task event modeling as a framework for automatic error handling. This work was complemented by his concurrent development of multi-sensor monitoring systems and later expanded into flexible manufacturing environments through his 1989 research on automatic fault diagnosis (20 citations). Hardy's contributions also extend into tactile sensing, with a book chapter on distributed touch sensing demonstrating his breadth across robotic perception. His later investigations into virtual sensors and force control reflect a sustained commitment to modular, reusable robot architectures. Across more than a dozen publications collectively accumulating over 130 citations, Hardy's body of work has helped shape the foundations of robust, sensor-aware industrial robotics — making his research essential reading for anyone studying autonomous manufacturing systems, robot fault tolerance, or intelligent sensor integration.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Knowledge based error recovery in industrial robots

   37 citations · 1983
2. 2
   A control and monitoring system for multiple-sensor industrial robots

   23 citations · 1983
3. 3
   Automatic diagnosis of task faults in flexible manufacturing systems

   20 citations · 1989
4. 4
   Research into error recovery for sensory robots

   17 citations · 1985
5. 5
   Declarative sensor knowledge in a robot monitoring system

   11 citations · 1987
6. 6
   Research into automatic error recovery

   11 citations · 1984
7. 7
   De-Coupling for Re-Use in Design and Implementation Using Virtual Sensors

   9 citations · 1999
8. 8
   Distributed Touch Sensing

   4 citations · 1992
9. 9
   Behavioural Modules for Force Control of Robot Manipulators

   3 citations · 2006
10. 10
    Supervision and sensing in flexible assembly

    2 citations · 2005

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links