UK team to develop autonomous robots for clearing nuclear waste

The cost of cleaning up the UK’s existing nuclear facilities has been estimated to be between £95 billion and £219 billion over the next 120 years or so. However, the harsh conditions within these facilities means that human access is highly restricted and much of the work will need to be completed by robots.

Whilst robotic systems have previously been used to deal with hazardous nuclear materials – most notably at Japan’s damaged Fukushima Daiichi plant – the technology does still have limitations, including the ability to perform relatively straightforward tasks such as turning valves, navigating staircases and moving over rough terrain.

The new group, which comprises the Universities of Manchester, Birmingham, and the West of England (UWE) along with Sellafield, EdF Energy, UKAEA and NuGen plans to develop robots with vastly improved performance: autonomous systems with advanced computing, sensing and mechanical abilities.