It’s just one example of an exciting innovation trial taking place at the Sellafield nuclear power plant. They’ll be testing a four-legged robot called Spot to monitor radiation levels more efficiently. With an overarching goal of improving safety and efficiency in unsafe environments, this initiative recognizes that human actions in dangerous scenarios can be fatal.
The plant has been aggressively piloting robotic capabilities. There, they deployed robots to swab for radiation in contaminated hot zones. Sellafield’s health physics team swabs hundreds of surfaces each day. Adopting new robotic technology would simplify these procedures immensely.
The robot’s swabbing tool—RAICo—is engineered to replicate the swabbing movements of a human operator. Equipped with a large, extendable arm that holds the yellow swabbing tool, RAICo enhances the robot’s versatility in various operational scenarios.
Deon Bulman, who manages the plant’s remotely operated vehicle equipment, spoke to the benefits of using Spot in these types of environments. He acknowledged that the robot’s quickness and newfound perceptiveness make it possible to work in spaces once considered too dangerous for human laborers.
“Those capabilities support faster, safer, and more cost-effective decommissioning operations.” – Deon Bulman
The trial at Sellafield follows the successful implementation of a similar test last year. That experiment was conducted on the Joint European Torus installation at Culham, Oxfordshire. This previous success demonstrates the incredible potential for robotics to make an impact in the nuclear industry. More importantly, it paves the way for substantive improvements to come.
Dr. Kirsty Hewitson, director of RAICo, said she was pleased to see robotic technology being absorbed into the industry. By deploying Spot, the BOEM not only saves time and money through better efficiency, but they will enhance safety protections during decommissioning activities.
In addition to swabbing providing haptic feedback, the robot’s advanced features provide more controlled and precise movements. Such innovative steps are important particularly in places where detecting radiation exposure is critically important.