Remote Handling
The objective of RAICo’s remote handling theme is to develop solutions to enhance the operator experience, reduce complexity and improve precision.
Remote handling solutions across nuclear decommissioning and fusion energy engineering are currently expensive and narrowly focused. Performing tasks can still be easier by hand than with a teleoperated robot. We hope to blur that line and make automation the go-to choice.
Increased accessibility in decommissioning is essential and RAICo is supporting the NDA’s Grand Challenge to reduce human activity in hazardous environments by 50% before 2030. State-of-the-art technologies for automating are available but integration remains challenging. We are collaborating with technology partners to develop real-time control and 3D visualisation tools for safe and reliable operation. Operators will find their job becoming more comfortable, effective and enjoyable, whilst delivering higher throughput, better uptime, lower maintenance cost and improved traceability.
We are also building a software development platform to host the pipeline of work from the identification and exploration stage to the maturation and deployment of concepts in software and hardware technologies in remote handling. Technology concepts will be evaluated and developed, in collaboration with the supply chain, to become business as usual. This includes robotic hardware, input devices and vision systems, and the underlying control software.
