The hazardous environment of a nuclear power plant can be accessed safely during a shutdown or an accident only by robotic automata. Current generation robots, while adequate for areas that require only limited mobility, are precluded from accessing many areas of nuclear facilities because these plants were not designed with robotic operational requirements in mind. Furthermore, current generation robots are incapable of three-dimensional maneuvering with extended-reach manipulation and locomotion that would allow multiple operational tasks to be performed in those constrained areas. A solution is to build a modular two-stage robot (M2SR) system that allows much more complete access within the nuclear plant environment. Phase I consists of nuclear plant environment. Phase I consists of development of the first stage robot, a multi-purpose mobile vehicle (MMV), which is a highly maneuverable autonomous base unit that can climb up and down stairs, walk over obstacles, and move relatively fast (if necessary). This first stage robot can carry and operate the second stage, multiple task specific robots.Anticipated Results/Potential Commercial Applications as described by the awardee:Successful completion of this project will result in the development of the stage-one part of the M2SR. This base unit is an autonomous MMV that will, when combined with shorter range (local) vehicles or other robotic components/subsystems, serve as the foundation for a highly versatile robotic system. This system will be capable of performing a multitude of tasks within civilian nuclear power generating facilities, reducing the radiation exposure of plant personnel and lowering plant operating costs. The vehicle also has great potential for other industrial and milita applications, e.g., for hazardous materials ,- ry transport and handling, mining, fire-fighting, and security. In short, the system will replace human labor where necessary for safety and economic reasons.
