A UK consortium funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council is tasked with developing sensor-equipped advanced robotic platforms for the characterization of radioactive waste and nuclear storage sites.

Underwater vehicle designed to survey challenging environments, such as the legacy ponds and silos at Sellafield. Source: University of ManchesterThe TOtal characterisation by Remote Observation in Nuclear Environments (TORONE) project includes scientists from Lancaster University, University of Manchester, Aston University, the National Nuclear Laboratory, and the UK Atomic Energy Authority.

Remotely-operated vehicle platforms will use optical spectroscopic techniques, advanced radiation detection methods and modern sensor technologies to augment 3D mapping data. Robotics and control technologies, such as those used in NASA’s Curiosity Rover, will form the flexible systems necessary for trials in nuclear environments ranging from Sellafield in the UK to Fukushima in Japan.

Nuclear technology experts at Lancaster University will develop advanced radiation detection techniques to provide a mobile assessment of radioactivity in extreme, harsh environments. The University of Manchester has already developed small submersible and ground-based vehicles that can be deployed to survey nuclear facilities (see video).