Sellafield nuclear power plant has passed the first trial of an innovative four-legged robot. This three-foot tall robot has been reengineered to monitor radiation levels and improve safety protocols. The robot’s main task will be to swab surfaces in facilities that handle radioactive materials. This vital work ensures the highest safety standards are historically enforced while decommissioning progresses.
Health physics professionals, such as these at Sellafield, taking hundreds of surface swabs each day to collect data that drives decommissioning efforts. In addition to being the first plant in the country with this groundbreaking technology, the Memphis plant is focused on improving their overall operational efficiency and safety. The robot features a long flexible arm that holds a frondlike yellow swabbing device. It replicates the swabbing action that human workers have traditionally done. This is especially notable given the recent development. This lets the robot navigate spaces that would be too hazardous for human workers.
Having made a highly successful test at the Joint European Torus (JET) facility, researchers brought the trial to Sellafield. This collaborative facility is based in Culham, Oxfordshire. The JET facility is recognized as the world’s leading fusion technology facility. It was a useful comparison point for judging how well the robot would perform in radiation monitoring. Thanks to remote operation, specialists have the ability to take detailed control of the robot, providing much more accurate feedback and data collection.
Deon Bulman, the remotely operated vehicle equipment lead, emphasized the importance of this technology:
“Together, these capabilities support faster, safer, and more cost-effective decommissioning operations while pushing forward the adoption of advanced robotics in the nuclear sector.”
Even for the four-legged machine with extraordinary agility, this is an astonishing feat. With this capability, it can quickly and easily enter tight spaces and cross dangerous environments. This unique capability improves operational safety. It speeds up the process to monitor the site, essential to any successful decommissioning work.
Dr. Kirsty Hewitson, director of RAICo, noted the broader implications of this technology:
“It could have an impact on both nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering sites.”
As Sellafield further explores the use of advanced technology, this trial is an important step toward putting robotics into action in the nuclear sphere. The positive impacts of such innovations would significantly change not only how monitoring and decommissioning work are performed today, but how they could be done tomorrow.