ACORN Translation Scheme awarded to University of Manchester for Legged Robots for Cooperative Transportation

The project entitled ‘Legged Robots for Cooperative Transport has been awarded to the University of Manchester and its partners Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) at Harwell and Autodiscovery Ltd.

All 26 Magnox reactors and 14 Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactors in the UK use graphite blocks as moderators. Therefore, there is a need to develop equipment to size-reduce graphite blocks and support the decommissioning of those reactors. One current challenge in the decommissioning of the Harwell BEPO reactor, planned for 2035–2040, is automating the size reduction and storage of its more than 20,000 graphite blocks.

Robotic systems have been identified as capable of automating this task. The strategic aim of this project, supported by Nuclear Restoration Services (NRS) and Autodiscovery Ltd, is to demonstrate a proof-of-concept robotic system capable of semi-autonomously fetching and transporting bulky, heavy graphite blocks to the holding station, thereby avoiding the manual transportation of blocks into the contamination containment enclosure.

A TRL 5/6 proof-of-concept will be demonstrated, in which two humanoids will semi-autonomously fetch graphite blocks and collaboratively transport them over several meters through static obstacles in the Harwell BEPO Hangar Building, paving the way for automating complex load transportation during decommissioning tasks. This could reduce costs and time while increasing safety, as humans will not be required to be exposed to on-site radiation during the transportation of bulky graphite blocks.

 

ACORN Translation Scheme awarded to University of Manchester for Legged Robots for Cooperative Transportation - Acorn