Control system for nuclear waste robot takes off
Summary
With five million tonnes of new waste yet to be produced by the UK’s decommissioning activities, the project aims to keep workers safe from exposure to radioactive materials. “Having robot-led waste categorisation processes in the nuclear industry is one way to ensure workers are kept safe from radioactive exposure,” explained Stuart Cheyne, UK marketing and sales manager at Kawasaki Robotics. “Manual management of nuclear waste is also costly and time-consuming, particularly in the current employment climate where many industries must cope with labour shortages. “Nuclear clients are now turning to manufacturers like Kawasaki to provide machinery that will perform the laborious, repetitive and often dangerous tasks associated with waste categorisation,” continued Cheyne. “Build-to-print contracts like these are great opportunities for us to combine our experience in software development and integration with Kawasaki’s extensive technical input and accessible engineer support.