TESTING MANIPULATOR DEVELOPMENT | ROBOTICS & DIGITAL


robustly then that’s the tool we want to find on the market,” says Delavalle. However, he emphasises the considerable efforts undertaken by VNS to ensure this approach was the right one. “It was quite a long search and it was not a five minute decision. We engaged with Siteflow probably two years ago because we are always looking for the most appropriate tools on the market that we can use to replace the things we don’t want to make. There was discussion about the capability of the software and Siteflow responded to all the queries we had about document control, security robustness reviews and so on. And they have worked with us to not only adapt the tools, but to make sure the tools respond to the requirements we set at the beginning related to the way we work and the way we want to use the tool.”


At the heart of the software’s functionality is its capacity


help guide staff through a process, even though it’s a unique operation, as Delavalle explains: “For us, it is about using the tool sometimes for one off operations, but making sure that all the steps of development and testing are intuitive in the way that these operations are described in the Siteflow tool. Also to make sure Siteflow is used to develop instructions and are mapped across our design development work. This is so that, as we go through projects, the different instructions that have been developed during design, or during tests or prototyping are mapped so that tweaks actually happen.” He explains how this approach has supported development of the manipulators: “The robot arm currently utilising Siteflow has undergone development, including design upgrades and manufacturing assembly as part of this project phase. While we’re replacing tools previously used in another project, it’s important to note that these changes aren’t exclusive to the robot arm.” He also notes that the arm currently deployed at


Fukushima is not using Siteflow and there are currently no plans to use the platform there either. “We already have an arm in Japan that has undergone testing near


Fukushima for potential deployment. This arm, known as the investigation arm, is capable of characterising and mapping the environment. Additionally, we are in the process of constructing a second arm for sampling and retrieval purposes. The VNS team is using Siteflow to plan the testing for this project. Once completed, this arm will also be sent to Japan, where it will serve as a prototype on a development platform for our clients’ future sampling technologies.” Commenting on the project, Louis Hauvette, Siteflow


Co-Founder and CEO, observes: “What’s interesting with this use case is that it is really proving the point that Siteflow is a fully compatible and flexible platform. This is why we like to work with our customers within partnerships where we can help them find new use cases and adapt the product to fit the new demands of their customers. We’ve begun on this first use case with Veolia but there’s a lot of other use cases we are currently talking about to pursue this path of digitising most of their field operations.” Delavalle says: “Siteflow remains a key supplier for us, and our collaboration with them is highly integrated into our work processes. We selected Siteflow because they exhibited flexibility for future endeavours, an area we aim to explore further. While our current project is focused on robotics, we are already discussing additional use cases with another significant aspect for our robotics team being digitalisation.” He concludes: “We are keen on leveraging various software tools to enhance value beyond individual capabilities, and Siteflow is integral to gathering historical data on operational machinery and maintenance requirements, complementing our existing tools. Ensuring data continuity is paramount, as we integrate with internal legacy systems, other digital tools, and stakeholders such as customers, suppliers, and core partners. At Veolia, we prioritise innovation, and Siteflow can help guide our engineering teams and operators in developing and operating equipment, particularly at critical sites like Fukushima.” ■


Above: Digital Twin Robotic Arm in X6 Port Assembly www.neimagazine.com | April 2024 | 29


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