R.S. Dwyer-Joyce

About

Dr. R.S. Dwyer-Joyce is a leading researcher in the field of robotic inspection for critical water infrastructure, pioneering methods to navigate and map the challenging, feature-sparse environment of buried water pipes. His work directly addresses the global challenge of asset management for water distribution networks, which are essential yet notoriously difficult to access. A key contribution is the development of PipeSLAM, a simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM) framework that uses a Rao-Blackwellised particle filter to enable robots to operate autonomously in these dark, uniform tunnels. To overcome the lack of visual landmarks, Dr. Dwyer-Joyce has innovated the use of acoustic signals—such as hydrophone-induced vibrations—for robot localisation, combining this with pose graph optimization to achieve robust positioning. His most-cited works, including a foundational 2017 paper (20 citations) and a 2020 study (19 citations), demonstrate the impact of his approach, which allows for the accurate detection of faults and the planning of targeted repairs from the surface. By enabling robots to effectively "see" and map the unseen, his research is paving the way for more efficient, non-destructive maintenance of our most vital water systems.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Robot mapping and localisation in metal water pipes using hydrophone induced vibration and map alignment by dynamic time warping

   20 citations · 2017
2. 2
   Robot Localization in Water Pipes Using Acoustic Signals and Pose Graph Optimization

   19 citations · 2020
3. 3
   PipeSLAM: Simultaneous localisation and mapping in feature sparse water pipes using the Rao-Blackwellised particle filter

   15 citations · 2017

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links