Sellafield, in Cumbria, is behind a pioneering new trial. A four-legged robot will replace humans to keep track of radiation levels in dangerous areas. This program further strengthens confidential safety reporting standards inside the plant. It improves decommissioning plans to ensure hazardous radioactive materials are appropriately disposed of or managed on site.
The trial is a step towards Sellafield’s longterm goal of using more advanced robotics across the nuclear industry. The robot’s only arm is a giant one, which ends in a bright yellow swabbing tool. It does so by ingeniously imitating the swabbing movements that human workers typically do. This cutting-edge method of highlighting radiation hazards provides a new way to actively monitor radiation levels in places where it would be dangerous for humans to go.
Sellafield’s health physics team is constantly swabbing hundreds of surfaces a day to inform critical decisions. This information is essential for guaranteeing successful decommissioning approaches and continued safety across the facility. The introduction of the robot is to speed up this process and reduce risk of injury to personnel.
Deon Bulman, Sellafield’s remotely operated vehicle equipment lead, emphasized the advantages of the robot’s design. “Its agility allows it to enter areas dangerous for humans,” he stated. Bulman further noted, “Together, these capabilities support faster, safer, and more cost-effective decommissioning operations while pushing forward the adoption of advanced robotics in the nuclear sector.”
The trial comes after an experiment proves successful last year at the Joint European Torus facility in Culham, Oxfordshire. This history of success gives credibility to the current effort. Above all, it poignantly illustrates the opportunity for robotic applications within the fields of nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering sites.
Dr. Kirsty Hewitson, director of RAICo, stressed the importance of the trial at Sellafield. She remarked that the use of such robots “could have an impact on both nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering sites,” highlighting the broader implications for safety and efficiency in hazardous environments.