Robots are increasingly able to take on any repeatable task in industry, and are used in many dull, dirty or dangerous tasks. But their deployment for highly variable tasks remains limited. They are now being used in nuclear decommissioning, to sort, cut, and repack waste storage skips. And this could serve as a testing ground for their use to handle other complex and variable streams of materials.

At Sellafield, one of the most complex nuclear decommissioning sites in the world, Atkins have helped develop systems that can identify the best way to cut contaminated storage skips, which have been stored in pools over decades of nuclear power generation and fuel reprocessing.

The company is also developing robotic systems that can allow staff to perform work in laboratory glove boxes—or isolators—without being exposed to risk. These developments come as the sector faces a growing labour shortage, explored in the recent Atkins/SNC-Lavalin report Digital in Nuclear: Our vision for 2035, and will help ease these pressures, while speeding up the decommissioning process.

Guests

Christian Pilon, head of robotics, SNC-Lavalin

Robert Marwood, technical director, robotics and technology, Atkins