Robotics and the nuclear industry

Citation

Pegman, G. (2006), "Robotics and the nuclear industry", Industrial Robot, Vol. 33 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.2006.04933caa.002

Robotics and the nuclear industry

Robotics and the nuclear industry

Robotics is enjoying a renaissance around the world. Companies and governments are falling over themselves to point out the benefits that the next generation of service robots will bring to all aspects of our lives. However, like the elephant lurking in the corner that no-one talks about, there is one area where robotics is not moving forward, that desperately needs to progress and yet no-one comments on this lack of activity. I talk, of course, of robotics in the nuclear industry. I acknowledge there is still some good work being undertaken, some of which is reported in this journal, but in general this area now gets little attention or funding.

Why is this? It is not for lack of need. There is a significant camp who believes that nuclear will at least form part of the future solution to delivering energy without increasing carbon emissions. If so, we should have modern systems and equipment for remotely handling nuclear material and we definitely need more advanced solutions to end of life decommissioning. Even without new build nuclear plants, the governments of the developed world have a duty to see that legacy nuclear waste is cleared up as efficiently and effectively as possible. In these matters robotics has a vital role to play.

It has been suggested that the nuclear arena is just too politically sensitive. But how can it be that we are currently spending billions to develop robotics for active roles in the defence industry but virtually nothing on helping to solve the problem of nuclear waste? If this really is the result of pressure from the environmental lobby, then it is a pressure that is leaving the environment at more risk.

Nuclear decommissioning in particular has some significant challenges for robotics. However, this is not a reason to walk away as the benefits robotics can bring will result in quicker and safer clean-up. And in talking about robotics in decommissioning I mean much more than demolition vehicles where open-loop controls have been taken off the vehicle to produce a big-boys remote controlled car, useful though these are.

Mobile robots have a role as sensor platforms to remotely (and largely autonomously) determine the nature of the plant to be decommissioned and the material it contains. Armed with this knowledge better planning can be undertaken, better equipment can be designed and uncertainty, risk and cost can be significantly reduced.

For dextrous size reduction and sorting tasks, teleoperated manipulators with significant autonomous “sub-routines” are needed to increase the effectiveness of remote operations and reduce the workload on operators. Even industrial manipulators, correctly applied, have a role to play in increasing the speed and safety of nuclear clean-up.

The technologies for doing these tasks are being developed in industries as diverse as consumer robotics, space, defence, construction and medicine. However, someone needs to apply them to the unique environment of the nuclear industry. This will not happen by default. We, the robotics industry, need to make people aware of the potential that is being missed and the need for urgent action. We need to ensure that politicians and nuclear industry leaders understand the rate of progress being made in robotics technologies and the potential application to nuclear applications. In the UK we particularly need to engage in dialogue with the newly formed Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to ensure it understands the benefits properly structured robotics development can bring, rather than entrusting our cleanup programme to the lowest bidder. We also need to, once again, engage bright researchers and developers with the unique challenges presented within the industry and convince them of the intellectual and, hopefully, economic rewards to be gained.

The nuclear industry was the first serious developer and user of robotic technologies. Now is the time for a critical re- examination of the role of robotics in the industry to ensure that it robotics once again plays a role in moving the industry forward.

Geoff Pegman is based at R U Robots Limited, Manchester, UK