A robot nuclear application

This paper presents the replacement of the conventional manipulators in the hot cells of the ET-RR-1 nuclear research reactor by a robot, to prevent involved personnel from being exposed to nuclear radiation hazards. In this respect, the educational robot HERO 2000, after being coupled to a PC, and provided with a sensing mat which is known as the force sensing array (FSA), is programmed to be able to identify the position and orientation of an irradiation can that is falling on the ground of a hot cell, and consequently to be able to pick up and transport this can to a lathe for cutting. A computer program, translates the positions and orientations of the irradiation cans, on the basis of some proposed processing criteria, to the robot HERO 2000 joint angles by virtue of employing inverse kinematics. Experimental measurement reveals that the output data of the sensing mat, are associated with statistical uncertainties. Linear representation of the associated statistical uncertainties together with inverse kinematics differentials, permits prediction of the corresponding corrections for joint angles that are required to ensure successful picking up of irradiation cans.