Boston Dynamics, a robot-specialized subsidiary of Hyundai Motor Group, has deployed its four-legged walking robot 'Spot' to UK nuclear facility decommissioning work.
According to Hyundai Motor Group on the 11th, UK state-owned enterprise Sellafield recently announced that it is utilizing Spot at nuclear facility decommissioning sites. The aim is to have robots take on dangerous areas instead, thereby increasing safety and sustainability in industrial sites.
Sellafield is a company in charge of decommissioning nuclear facilities and managing radioactive waste in the UK, and precise data collection and detailed inspection work is essential. However, there was a problem in that worker safety at the site was difficult to ensure due to radiation exposure and complex internal structures.
To solve this, Sellafield introduced a robot-based on-site inspection system. It is a method of using Spot to collect data and perform remote inspections in areas where people cannot directly enter. Spot precisely grasps the on-site structure through 360-degree video recording and three-dimensional LiDAR scanning, and managers can remotely check the on-site situation through real-time video streaming. It moves stably even within complex structures including rough terrain and stairs.
In addition to nuclear facility decommissioning work, Spot is also performing 'radiological characterization' work to check for the presence of radioactive materials and 'sample collection' test work to check for radiation contamination within facilities. Sellafield evaluated that by utilizing Spot, it significantly reduced workers' exposure to danger, and since it can stay on-site for longer periods than humans to conduct inspections, the work speed has increased.
In addition, Spot is performing detection, inspection, and patrol work at various industrial sites including POSCO, Australian natural gas producer Woodside Energy, and global food company Cargill.
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Japan would be difficult, right?
