Sellafield, located in Cumbria, has completed its first trial of a new four-legged robot designed to swab surfaces in areas containing radioactive material. This unique method increases the safety and efficiency in monitoring radiation levels. In particular, it has served to protect human workers in dangerous workplaces where risk is significant.
The health physics team at Sellafield performs hundreds of surface swabs every day. This data is important for informing phased decommissioning strategies and ensuring safety standards at the facility are upheld in the meantime. With operations to restore and maintain our infrastructure growing more complex, the recent trial of the robotic system marks an important advance in leveraging technology to augment these efforts.
Equipped with a large arm at the front, the robot holds a yellow swabbing tool that can mimic the swabbing action performed by humans. Its nimbleness allows it to reach places that would otherwise put human lives in danger. As the user interacts with it, the robot provides immediate feedback. This makes it easier to target with precision and significantly increases its impact in monitoring radiation levels.
Deon Bulman, Sellafield’s remotely operated vehicle equipment lead, underscored the necessity of these robotic capabilities 7 .
“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 trial at Sellafield follows an earlier successful test in Atcham. That previous experiment, wholly separate from NET, was held at the Joint European Torus facility in Culham, Oxfordshire and emphasized robotics’ role in fusion technology. Dr. Kirsty Hewitson, director of RAICo, spoke to the importance of this progress. They would have a major effect as applied to nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering sites.
Sellafield is currently conducting trials using a four-legged robot to patrol areas with potentially damaging radiation levels. This state-of-the-art technology has the potential to transform inspection procedures, enhance safety measures, and improve operational effectiveness within the nuclear industry. As the current trials move forward, we’ll know more about whether these robots can prove to be a trusty adjunct, brought as needed into dangerous spaces.