Sellafield have just undertaken their first successful trial of a new swabbing tool. It’s a novel application that has been created specifically for implementation by Spot, the four-legged robot from Boston Dynamics. RAICo is an innovative tool that’s been created to make robots more powerful. It’s quick to attach and reconfigure, and enables a complete area surrounding the Sellafield nuclear power plant, located in Cumbria, to be surface swabbed efficiently.
The RAICo tool automates the swabbing movement that operators would normally do by hand. This innovation allows for cost-effective, real-time, great precision monitoring of radiation. Sellafield’s health physics team conducts thousands of surface swabs daily. As they explore potential uses, integrating this exploratory robotic technology is sure to uncover new, revolutionary opportunities that will transform their operations.
Deon Bulman, lead for Sellafield’s remotely operated vehicle plant equipment, said this trial was a key moment. Additionally, the robot’s “haptic feedback” during a swab makes control and precision easier, he said.
The robot has a long, telescoping arm fitted with a special-looking yellow swabbing tool. This specialised design allows it to easily work in hazardous environments too dangerous for human labourers to traverse. Spot’s agility and responsiveness help it thrive in highly-dangerous zones. Due to its large photodetector area, it is instrumental in understanding and controlling radiation levels throughout the facility.
This trial follows on from a successful precedent set last year at the Joint European Torus facility in Culham, Oxfordshire. The outcome of that test opened the door for pursuing the innovative potential of robotic technology, the future of nuclear operations.
Bulman stated, “Those capabilities support faster, safer, and more cost-effective decommissioning operations,” highlighting how this technology could transform traditional practices in the nuclear sector.
Dr. Kirsty Hewitson, director of RAICo, expressed optimism about the project’s future, emphasizing its role in “pushing forward the adoption of advanced robotics in the nuclear sector.”