Development of Plug-and-Play Interchangeable Components for Unmanned Aerial System with Mobile Manipulation Capability
The safe cleanup of the environmental legacy brought about from decades of nuclear weapons development and government-sponsored nuclear energy research is of vital importance. The sites of U.S. Department of Energy hold 6.5 trillion liters of contaminated groundwater and 40 million cubic meters of soil and debris contaminated with radionuclides, metals, and organics. The deactivation and decommissioning process (D and D) involves conversion of active, excess, and/or abandoned facilities to a final disposition. Because of residual radioactivity and dangerous chemicals, and the physical condition of these facilities, D and D presents unique hazards that must be addressed from safety, environmental, programmatic, and technological standpoints. This problem calls for development of informed D and D strategies including in-situ decommissioning, efficacy of D and D operations, productivity and personnel safety of D and D operation, facilitation of acceptable facility end-states, and independent verification. To identify and address D and D risks and challenges, innovative applications and timely insertion of existing commercially available technologies, processes and robotics or remote hardware are necessary. Aerial robotic unmanned autonomous systems (UAS) enable remote sensing operations. To address the needs of UAS-based sensing and sampling applications, we are developing plug-and-play interchangeable components for integration into the UAS: a neutron/gamma radiation sensor, a gas sensor for detection of vapors in air, and a miniature manipulator. (authors)