Robot Tested in Finnish Onkalo Repository
In June a research team led by the Swiss robotics company ANYbotics tested the functionality of its ANYmal robot at a depth of more than 400 meters in the tunnels of the Onkalo underground spent nuclear fuel repository near Olkiluoto, Finland. The test was organized by Euratom – the European Atomic Energy Community – together with Finnish radioactive waste management company Posiva Oy responsible for spent nuclear fuel disposal.
A group of researchers from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology built the first four-legged robot back in 2009, and ANYbotics was founded for the commercialization of this technology in 2016.
The ANYmal robot uses laser sensors and cameras to observe the environment and can locate its own position very precisely. By combining observation data with location data – such as a map or area scan data – it can plan its navigation route independently when necessary. Its weight makes about 50 kg.
The purpose was to test how far the robot can travel in Onkalo conditions with one charge, and whether there are any terrains in the tunnel where the robot would not be able to advance. The test lasts about 1,5 hours since with a fully-charged battery, the robot can operate for up to 2 hours.
For the test, the robot first “walked” the planned route by remote control, and scanned the map into its internal system. In the test itself, the robot moved along the scanned route autonomously, although all the time in the line of sight with the research team. It was also available for remote control at any moment, for example in case of danger. Various safety functions were programmed into the robot. For example, it went around the obstacles on the route from a certain safety distance and stopped when something came into its safety area.
World Nuclear News