This proposal is based upon a novel idea in which actuators for high-integrity and/or safety-critical applications are provided by a system comprising a number of actuation elements. These elements are configured and controlled in such a way that faults in individual elements are inherently accommodated without resulting in a failure of the complete actuation system in contrast to current technology in which a relatively low level of functional redundancy is used. The research proposal is scientifically challenging and highly original, as well as being timely from an industrial viewpoint because of the burgeoning interest in high-integrity mechatronic applications.