Researchers turn to robotics to tackle nuclear challenges

Nuclear AMRC Midlands has taken delivery of an unmanned ground vehicle to help tackle a range of nuclear industry challenges.

The Derby-based team has bought the piece of equipment called a Husky, a robot produced by Clearpath Robotics, in the US.

In recent years, unmanned ground vehicles, or UGVs, have been deployed in a variety of civilian, industrial and military applications, to work in hazardous or unpleasant conditions, or carry out tasks which are too risky, difficult or dull for humans.

But according to Nuclear AMRC, so far, they have not been widely used in the nuclear sector.

The project, funded by the High Value Manufacturing Catapult, aims to develop an intelligent control and guidance system for unmanned logistics vehicles, based on proven artificial intelligence concepts.

The first challenge for the Nuclear AMRC’s Husky is developing its capabilities for safely patrolling a potentially hazardous site, to monitor radiation levels and collect environmental data.

The Derby-based team will integrate a selection of advanced sensor systems to the Husky platform, including light detection and ranging and gamma ray spectrometers, along with satellite navigation and positioning devices.

The researchers will also develop software for combining radiation intensity and geolocation data to create a live map of radiation levels and test the system in a safe environment before the Husky is let loose on a real nuclear site.

Dr Ali Imam Sunny, technical lead in the Nuclear AMRC’s control and instrumentation group, said: “For the nuclear industry, the UGV has the potential to provide real-time location measurement and mapping of radioactivity with isotope identification.

“In the near future we will work on routine and repeated monitoring of the site to actively provide data, to highlight anomalous changes in radiation as well as other anomalies within the ground with the help of ground-penetrating radar and other sensor elements.”

As well as monitoring operational and decommissioning sites, Nuclear AMRC said that the Husky could also have a role to play in the development of new reactors.