Sellafield, based in Cumbria, has recently passed a remarkable anniversary. Their new four-legged robot has recently passed its first field trial, efficiently using swabs to clean surfaces in locations contaminated with radioactive material. The campaign’s aim The campaign’s overarching mission is to protect and promote safety standards. It further informs decommissioning strategies, as the facility stores hundreds of surface swabs daily.
The health physics team at Sellafield are very pro-active in their data collection through swabbing. This important process allows them to decide the safest and most effective ways to decommission. The big initial picture of the robot now has a big blue arm with a big yellow swabbing tool. This new idea has the potential to transform the practice. The robot’s swabbing attachment replicates the same action that human workers typically execute with swabs. This design provides an important benefit for use in radiation-heavy environments, shielding your team from unnecessary danger.
Deon Bulman, remotely operated vehicle equipment lead at Sellafield, focused on the robot’s testing. Specifically, he said, its agility and precision allow it to reach places too dangerous for people. Bulman stated,
“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 at Sellafield follows a successful test performed at the Joint European Torus (JET) facility in Culham, Oxfordshire. In doing so, researchers achieved historic breakthroughs in fusion-based experimentation. The findings from both trials point to one very promising alternative. Robots are an incredible resource. If properly utilized, they would magnify our capacity to monitor radiation in complex environments.
Dr. Kirsty Hewitson, director of RAICo, said that the technology’s ramifications reach beyond just improving people’s lives. She noted that it “could have an impact on both nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering sites,” suggesting a promising future for robotic applications in these critical fields.
While in testing mode, the robot provides real-time, meaningful feedback that allows for pinpoint control. This aspect greatly increases its promise for impactful, practical radiation monitoring. Sellafield is already taking an exciting leap into the potential of this cutting-edge technology. This is an important and climactic step toward balancing speed with safety and efficiency across the nuclear sector.