Telerobotic radiation protection tasks in the Super Proton Synchrotron using mobile robots

Abstract

In this paper a complete robotic solution is presented, which allows the teleoperation of the radiation survey in the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) accelerator at CERN. Firstly, an introduction to radiation protection is given. Subsequently, the execution of the radiation survey in person is described and the potential of robotic solutions for such missions is outlined. After providing a brief state of the art on the subject, the development of the robot base, as well as its component selection and design is shown. Hereafter, the software implementation is explained. The test procedure of this project includes the most important requirements for a correct execution of the survey, as well as the operational steps and data treatment in detail. The results underline the correct execution of the mission, and show the advantages of the teleoperated robotic solution, such as the improved and unified measurement conditions. Thus, this robotic system will allow to significantly reduce the radiation dose of the radiation protection staff. For further development, the automation of this task is planned, which presupposes the gradual autonomization of the robotic system from assisting the user to the self-reliant execution of the survey.