RadPiper robots to join hunt for uranium deposits in former enrichment plant

Autonomous robots equipped with disc-collimated radiation sensors are set to carry out inspections for uranium deposits at a former uranium enrichment plant in the US.

Developed by Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute, the pair of robots will manoeuvre through miles of pipes at the US Department of Energy's former plant in Piketon, Ohio, to identify uranium on pipe walls.

According to CMU, the robot has demonstrated it can measure radiation levels more accurately from inside the pipe than is possible with external techniques, a factor that can reduce labour costs and reduce hazards to workers who otherwise take external measurements by hand.

"This will transform the way measurements of uranium deposits are made from now on," said William "Red" Whittaker, robotics professor and director of the Field Robotics Center.

Heather Jones, senior project scientist will present two technical papers about the robot on March 21, 2018 at the Waste Management Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. CMU also will be demonstrating a prototype of the robot during the conference.