ADVERTORIAL FEATURE | VEOLIA NUCLEAR SOLUTIONS (VNS)
Advancing Remote Operations with Haptic VR and Dexter™
Digital simulation can replicate real-world operations, improving safety, efficiency and skills. By combining precise digital interaction with force feedback, Haptic VR for Dexter™ bridges the gap between the virtual and physical worlds
Andrew Wheatley, Research & Development Manager, Veolia Nuclear Solutions Below:
Haptic VR demonstration at WNE 2025 using a single arm Dexter™ Local manipulator
VEOLIA’S NUCLEAR SOLUTIONS BUSINESS is leading the next generation of remote handling technology by collaborating with TOIA to integrate Haptic Virtual Reality (VR) into Veolia’s Dexter™ telemanipulator system. This breakthrough allows operators to experience high fidelity force interaction with virtual environments, bringing a new level of realism to operator training, task assessment, and remote operations in high-risk nuclear environments. Showcased at the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) 2025 in Paris, Veolia demonstrated how digital simulation can
replicate real-world operations, improving safety, operational efficiency, and skill development across the nuclear industry. By combining precise digital interaction with force feedback, Haptic VR for Dexter™ bridges the gap between virtual and physical operation, empowering operators to train, plan, and execute complex tasks with confidence.
What Is Haptic VR? In most consumer settings, virtual reality is associated with wearing a headset to create a visually immersive world. In industrial robotics, “Virtual Reality” or “Digital Twin” refers to any virtual environment where operators can visualise their machine’s interactions within a digital space. Haptic VR extends this capability by adding force-feedback, allowing users to feel resistance, weight, and contact through a physical device. Haptic VR delivers realism through touch as well as sight in a realistic control environment. This foundation enables the seamless integration of Haptic VR with Dexter™, making digital interaction feel indistinguishable from operating the physical system.
Dexter™: Force feedback telemanipulation - now available in Haptic VR Dexter™ is Veolia’s force-feedback telemanipulator, designed to replicate human arm movements with precision, even in extreme radiation environments. Traditionally, a human operator uses the Local manipulator while the Remote manipulator mirrors the actions in a hazardous location. With Haptic VR, Dexter™ can now be experienced digitally, allowing operators to feel and practice complex tasks in a virtual environment. This application supports realistic training, task assessment, and design iteration, while maintaining Dexter’s™ flexibility for nuclear decommissioning, space exploration, and other high-risk operations. Importantly, the Haptic VR environment is not a replacement for
Dexter’s remote manipulator, but a complementary tool that enables operators and engineers to interact with a precise digital twin of the system. The two technologies can be tightly integrated, enabling “just in time” rehearsal rather than treating training as a purely offline process: operators can switch into the simulation at any point, load the remote system in its current real configuration, drop objects into the virtual scene, rehearse a task, and then seamlessly return to the real hardware.
Haptic VR for Dexter™: Making the digital tangible At the core of this advancement is a bespoke interface developed by Veolia’s nuclear engineering team to connect Dexter™ to TOIA’s Haptic VR Environment, powered by Unreal Engine. This allows operators to feel and interact with a digital simulation of Dexter™ as if they were operating the real system. Feedback from demonstrations has been overwhelmingly positive. Hundreds of participants at WNE 2025 experienced the system, with many remarking that it felt so real they wondered where the “other half” of the system was. Such reactions confirm the immersive quality of this technology and its potential to transform operator training and operational planning. Originally introduced during the UKAEA LongOps
Programme, the system has evolved through continued collaboration between Veolia and TOIA. Today, it is fully integrated with Dexter™, enabling realistic, high-fidelity simulations of complex tasks.
Enhancing operations through realistic training and assessment The integration of Haptic VR into Dexter™ serves two primary operational purposes: 1. Operator training: Operators can repeatedly practice complex tasks in a safe, highly realistic virtual environment. By using just half of a Dexter™ system, and with virtual environments that closely mimic real-world scenarios, trainees can gain the experience necessary to
36 | January 2026 |
www.neimagazine.com
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