22 In conversation | Professor Barry Lennox where radiation levels are relatively low in nuclear facilities – at least for a robot. The radiation limit for a nuclear worker in the UK is 20 millisieverts (mSv) per year effective dose. In our tests, we have found that electric systems can typically withstand about 50 Sv, so considerably more than a human. The 50 Sv figure does vary, depending on the device and when and where it was manufactured, et cetera,” he adds. Potential with legs In Lennox’s view, the improvements achieved in the functionality and costs of legged robots are among the most exciting developments of recent years. “Robots such as Boston Dynamics’ Spot offer huge potential in the nuclear industry because they are quite robust and can move around complex environments,” he says. “Since robots cannot typically be used once and returned to the lab for further work their cost is very important. It is now possible to buy legged robots that can be used for demonstration and trial purposes.” He says their interfaces are now intuitive enough for non-roboticists to operate them, which is important because research scientists are frequently not allowed to deploy robots on nuclear sites. Their physical placement into contaminated areas has to be done by nuclear-trained personnel. Co-operation between research scientists and nuclear professionals is well established, however, as the operation of the Lyra tracked vehicle developed for use at the Dounreay nuclear site in Scotland demonstrates. “This robot had to be designed so that it could be deployed by nuclear staff, although once deployed we were allowed to drive it,” Lennox says. Lyra had to be able to fit into a 1 m-high, 100 m-long tunnel, require no maintenance, and be equipped to take video images and collect radiometric data as it moved. Development and testing took about 12 months, while deployment lasted about two weeks, with interruptions due to COVID, Lennox recalls. “The deployment was very stressful. I was the driver many times and was aware that if I crashed it, or got it stuck on debris, the robot would create a blockage in the tunnel for years,” he says. However, the mission was successful. “The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority estimated that the robot saved them about £65,000 and, more importantly, about 2250 hours of higher-risk operations involving personnel in PPE, including airline suits. The cost of the time reduction has been estimated at £4 million to £5 million.” AI introduction While AI is heading for ubiquity in robotic vehicles, its use in radioactively contaminated environments is typically kept at a low level, limited to tasks such as obstacle avoidance, Lennox notes, freeing operators to do other things. “Ideally, we don’t want the operators getting worried about hitting a wall. It can be stressful deploying a robot in a radioactive environment and the more low-level functions that we can take away from the operator, the better,” he says. Even as AI improves, human operators will remain central to robotics in the nuclear industry, although the balance between them will change, he argues. “As robots are deployed with greater regularity, the confidence that industry has with them will improve, and it is possible that more AI will be deployed. It is many years away, but technology could reach the point where an operator could open a door and tell the robot to clean up a facility, and then close the door and come back two weeks later, allowing them to complete other more complex tasks that require a human.” In the near term, Lennox believes the role of autonomous systems, including those incorporating AI, will expand, particularly in the case of UAV systems used to inspect tall structures. “As confidence grows with this technology, they will be allowed to do more and more.” Together with Rob Buckingham, director and lead for robotics at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), Lennox is working to further AI in the field through the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICo). Based in Cumbria and led by Kirsty Hewitson, RAICo aims to support the nuclear industry in its development April/May 2025 | Uncrewed Systems Technology Lennox’s team developed this folding rotor quadcopter to pass through small apertures. The rotors are at varying heights so the arms can reduce the angle between them without the risk of the blades clashing
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