NUCLEAR INNOVATION | ROBOTICS & DIGITAL
our people safe. This work also has the potential to save money on our decommissioning investigation.” Createc’s Energy MD, Will Newsom, said: “Over the
course of five days, we deployed two Spots in multiple entries to the cell. The environment we were exploring was complex as it had not been accessed in over 20 years, so the team didn’t know what to expect: that’s what made the deployment so challenging.” He added: “Using our innovative NV-Explore sensor, the team captured 3D radiation maps. At the same time, one Spot with a robotic arm was used to take several physical samples for lab analysis.” Professor Melanie Brownridge, Technology & Innovation
Director for the UK Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) noted that the work had shown the potential applicability of the technology across the NDA group. “Shared learning and collaboration across our group is essential to the successful delivery of our mission. We have many common challenges and the potential to learn and share the impact, benefitting from innovative approaches such as this is truly significant.” Dounreay now plans to validate the suitability of
several different types of sensors, combined with Spot, to support the digitalisation of existing on-site processes. It is hoped this will demonstrate the multi-tasking value of the quadruped for nuclear sites, and its ability to carry out practical work for multiple teams. In 2022, Dounreay also used another robot – named
Lyra – to inspect a ventilation duct in redundant nuclear laboratories and map radioactive materials. Lyra traversed 140 metres of duct from a single entry point and provided operators with detailed radiological
characterisation information to help plan safe and efficient decommissioning of the laboratories. Human access to this area is currently impossible due to both the size of the duct and radiological risks. Lyra was developed by researchers at The University of Manchester, working within the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence for Nuclear (RAIN) Hub and with considerable guidance from technical and operations staff at Dounreay Site Remediation Ltd (DSRL). Lyra was designed from the start as a low-cost robot, featuring five radiation detectors, a laser scanner for positioning, two cameras, lights and a manipulator arm that was used to take swab samples of the radioactive contamination from the walls or floor of the duct.
Above: “Spot” dog robots, developed by Boston Dynamics, were used to negotiate pitch- black conditions.
Below:
Quadruped robots have supported decommissioning at Dounreay in the UK
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