SMuRFs emerge as Sellafield solution

Short for Symbiotic Multi-Robot Fleet, the multimodal system features Boston Dynamics’ robot dog Spot, alongside wheeled and airborne robots. Working together, the SMuRFs form a cyber physical system (CPS) capable of communicating with up to 1,600 sensors, robots and other digital and physical assets in ‘near to real-time’, as well as keeping a human operator in the loop. The system was developed by engineers from University of Glasgow, University of Manchester, Bristol Robotics Laboratory and Heriot-Watt University.

In a paper published in IET Cyber-Systems and Robotics, the researchers outlined how they deployed the SMuRFs in a practical demonstration at the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICo) facility in Cumbria. The robots collaborated to map the environment, creating a 3D digital twin of the space using their onboard sensors, supported by further mapping from a piloted aerial drone. During the demo, Spot fetched tools for closer scans using its flexible arm, while wheeled robots Scout and CARMA mapped radiation levels. The CARMA robot also successfully detected a simulated spill of radioactive liquid underneath a waste barrel.