Access to harsh environments, such as those in the nuclear sector, is difficult. This limits the amount of training, testing and development of robotics and AI which can be performed in-situ.
The current solution is to provide simulated environments in which to test new algorithms before critical on-site deployment. Furthermore, this has allowed us to implement other physical aspects with much greater control than in real scenarios, such as ionising radiation sources.
These simulated environments have already found great use in a number of academic papers (e.g. Real-Time Avoidance of Ionising Radiation Using Layered Costmaps for Mobile Robots), and are becoming the go-to tool for research and industry globally. What has started as a tool which was “good enough” has now reached the point where the quality and accuracy of these environments needs to be improved.
[View of French utility EDF's Penly Nuclear Power Plant in Petit-Caux, near Dieppe, France, December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier | Accessed 28/06/2023](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/fd78ec87-b982-4a3e-a649-fdcf36f69f87/QYVFX26TZJKT5KB5LFHSKJAFF4.avif)
View of French utility EDF's Penly Nuclear Power Plant in Petit-Caux, near Dieppe, France, December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier | Accessed 28/06/2023
There is no one single nuclear facility which can be referenced as a typical environment. Furthermore, nuclear inspection using robots does not only cover nuclear reactors, but also waste storage (drums and casks), reprocessing (chemical plants), and energy generation (turbine halls).
There is no right or wrong answer, only that these facilities will look “industrial”, will be large scale, with plenty of features such as walkways, pipework, plant equipment, and built using concrete, lots and lots of concrete.
In terms of reference materials, consider:
This project holds a great deal of creative licence with the artist, but we would recommend liaising with us regularly to ensure it meets our expectations.
Robots in the research group utilise the Robot Operating System (ROS). This is a framework which allows for the rapid development of robotic systems, with hardware and simulation being interchangeable.
