Sellafield nuclear power plant has recently begun an exciting new trial with Spot, a four-legged robot that patrols environments to detect the presence of radiation. This latest test is intended to improve safety procedures in regions with high levels of radioactive compounds. This ambitious plan builds on a successful first test carried out with the previous technology at the Joint European Torus facility in Culham, Oxfordshire last year.
The robot features a 22-foot-long arm that holds a giant yellow swabbing tool. It’s able to more quickly and efficiently replicate the complex swabbing movements that humans typically perform. This groundbreaking design enables the manipulator to safely operate in dangerous, potentially lethal environments where human access is prohibited. The robot’s speed and lightness give it the freedom to move intelligently and gracefully through tough settings. This capability provides a significant improvement in the safety of operations at Sellafield.
Opportunity to glimpse behind camera health physics team at Sellafield carry out hundreds of diving surface swabs every day. This critical information informs decommissioning plans and ensures public safety remains paramount. The recently delivered feedback from their tests with the robot has made it possible to control with great precision. This aims to guarantee that proper monitoring and swabbing of surfaces that may be contaminated with radioactive waste is done.
This invention would make an irreversible improvement to nuclear decommissioning sites and fusion engineering campuses. She mentioned that the success of this use case trial could set precedence for larger implementations across other like environments.
“Together, these capabilities support faster, safer, and more cost-effective decommissioning operations while pushing forward the adoption of advanced robotics in the nuclear sector.” – Deon Bulman
The ability to remotely operate the robot increases its potential applications even further. Now, operators can remotely pilot it beyond the front lines! This capability is especially important in safety-critical contexts where humans may not always be able to intervene.