A Survivable Mobile Robot System with Multi-Task Capabilities for Hazardous Radioactive Environments

摘要

Future responsibilities of DOE, DoD, and Homeland Security point to an increasing need for rad-hardened robotics. Mobile and autonomous radiation-tolerant robotics are needed to provide reliable systems for monitoring, cleanup, decontamination, storage and other applications. Maintenance operations in the proposed Yucca Mountain facility must rely heavily on radiation hardened robotic systems to fulfill their mission. The University of Florida Nuclear & Radiological Engineer robotics group (NRE), supported by the University Research Program in Robotics (URPR), have successfully developed radiation-hardened circuits for Andros robots. Previous designs hardened the major circuits controlling the robot’s motor drives. This work included the two major electronic areas of the H-bridge and pulse-width modulation (PWM) circuits. Recently, the UF research team has discussed terrestrial use of the space qualified PowerPC made by BAE systems. These key components with robust radiation tolerances are available for completing the radiation hardening of the central processing unit. The important communications, control and automation functions are implemented by the central processor. Full integration of these important functions is now possible in a readily programmable radiation-tolerant central processor. The proposed UF hardened central processor circuit design is versatile and not platform dependent. It provides a fully integrated programming capability for adapting each system for many applications and features reprogramming as missions change. The degree of radiation tolerance has been verified by in-situ radiation testing in the UF Cobalt facility (designed for >1 Mrad and tested to 2 Mrads). Higher tolerances can be achieved by additional shielding, if needed. New autonomous rad-hardened mobile robots can now be developed for these important national security and environmental sensitive tasks.