Researchers from Australia’s science watchdog have developed the world’s most successful method of protecting nuclear fuel used around the world.
Unveiled by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) on Tuesday, the Robotized Cherenkov Viewing Device (RCVD) drives itself into spent oil pools and provides inspectors with real-time images and data that can be used to verify safety.
RCVD, which was developed by CSIRO digital specialist Data61 and Hungarian robotics company Datastart, analyzes the location of each fuel group with its unique signature to detect whether nuclear fuel has been removed or altered.
Rosie Attwell, CSIRO’s Technical Program Manager, said the technology could remove the threat people face from protecting nuclear weapons.
“This test shows that autonomous robots can soon help measure and analyze spent nuclear fuel, providing greater safety for workers,” he said in a press release.
“The inspectors currently work above the pool on a suspended platform, sometimes in temperatures of 40-degree Celsius, using a mobile device to detect the hundreds of nuclear rods in use.
“This new technology will get people out of harm’s way and ensure a level of safety comparable to nuclear weapons.”
The team is now working on improving the RVCD’s navigation and imaging capabilities in order to match it with the real visitors.
They also want to equip it with computer vision to improve its autonomy in the next phase of development.
(Cover via CFP)
Source(s): Xinhua News Agency
