Publications

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Aided by its 17 National Laboratories, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) carries out a mission to, ‘‘ensure America’s security and prosperity by addressing its energy, environmental and nuclear challenges through transformative science and technology solutions,’’ in arenas ranging from the digital information omniverse and electric power grid to the nuclear cycle. Although DOE research, development, and applications (RD&A) have traditionally drawn from the physical sciences, a complementary understanding is emerging in the lab complex of the human dimension.

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An analysis was conducted of the potential for unmanned and unattended robotic technologies for forward-based, immediate response capabilities that enables access and controlled task performance. The authors analyze high-impact response scenarios in conjunction with homeland security organizations, such as the NNSA Office of Emergency Response, the FBI, the National Guard, and the Army Technical Escort Unit, to cover a range of radiological, chemical and biological threats. They conducted an analysis of the potential of forward-based, unmanned and unattended robotic technologies to accelerate and enhance emergency and crisis response by Homeland Defense organizations. Response systems concepts were developed utilizing new technologies supported by existing emerging threats base technologies to meet the defined response scenarios. These systems will pre-position robotic and remote sensing capabilities stationed close to multiple sites for immediate action. Analysis of assembled systems included experimental activities to determine potential efficacy in the response scenarios, and iteration on systems concepts and remote sensing and robotic technologies, creating new immediate response capabilities for Homeland Defense.

This activity brought two robotic mobile manipulation systems developed by Sandia National Laboratories to the Maneuver Support Center (MANSCEN) at Ft. Leonard Wood for the following purposes: Demonstrate advanced manipulation and control capabilities; Apply manipulation to hazardous activities within MANSCEN mission space; Stimulate thought and identify potential applications for future mobile manipulation applications; and Provide introductory knowledge of manipulation to better understand how to specify capability and write requirements.

Perhaps the most basic barrier to the widespread deployment of remote manipulators is that they are very difficult to use. Remote manual operations are fatiguing and tedious, while fully autonomous systems are seldom able to function in changing and unstructured environments. An alternative approach to these extremes is to exploit computer control while leaving the operator in the loop to take advantage of the operator's perceptual and decision-making capabilities. This report describes research that is enabling gradual introduction of computer control and decision making into operator-supervised robotic manipulation systems, and its integration on a commercially available, manually controlled mobile manipulator.

A survey of robotic applications in radioactive environments has been conducted, and analysis of robotic system components and their response to the varying types and strengths of radiation has been completed. Two specific robotic systems for accident recovery and nuclear fuel movement have been analyzed in detail for radiation hardness. Finally, a general design approach for radiation-hardened robotics systems has been developed and is presented. This report completes this project which was funded under the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program.

The US Department of Energy has recently completed a topical safety analysis report outlining the design and operation of a Centralized Interim Storage Facility for spent commercial nuclear fuel. During the course of the design, dose assessments indicated the need for remote operation of many of the cask handling operations. Use of robotic equipment was identified as a desirable handling solution that is capable of automating many of the operations to maintain throughput, and sufficiently flexible to handle five or more different storage cask designs in varying numbers on a given day. This paper discusses the facility and the dose assessment leading to this choice, and reviews factors to be considered when choosing robotics or automation. Further, a new computer simulation tool to quantify dose to humans working in radiological environments, the Radiological Environment Modeling System (REMS), is introduced. REMS has been developed to produce a more accurate estimate of dose to radiation workers in new activities with radiological hazards.

The Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center (ISRC) at Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program organization, pursuing research, development and applications in a wide range of field. Activities range from large-scale applications such as nuclear facility dismantlement for the US Department of Energy (DOE), to aircraft inspection and refurbishment, to automated script and program generation for robotic manufacturing and assembly, to miniature robotic devices and sensors for remote sensing and micro-surgery. This paper describes six activities in the large and small scale that are underway and either nearing technology transfer stage or seeking industrial partners to continue application development. The topics of the applications include multiple arm coordination for intuitively maneuvering large, ungainly work pieces; simulation, analysis and graphical training capability for CP-5 research reactor dismantlement; miniature robots with volumes of 16 cubic centimeters and less developed for inspection and sensor deployment; and biomedical sensors to enhance automated prosthetic device production and fill laparoscopic surgery information gap.

High costs and low productivity of manual operations in radiation, chemical, explosive and other hazardous environments have mandated the use of remote means to accomplish many tasks. However, traditional remote operations have proven to have very low productivity when compared with unencumbered humans. To improve the performance of these systems, computer models augmented by sensors, and modular computing environments are being utilized to automate many unstructured hazardous tasks. Establishment of a common structure for developments of modules such as the Generic Intelligent System Controller (GISC), have allowed many independent groups to develop specialized components that can be rapidly integrated into purpose-built robotic systems. The drawback in using this systems is that the equipment investments for such robotic systems can be substantial. In a resource-competitive environment, the ability to readily and reliably reconfigure and reuse assets operated by other industries, universities, research labs, government entities, etc., is proving to be a crucial advantage. Timely and efficient collaboration between entities has become increasingly important as monetary resources of government programs and entire industries expand or contract in response to rapid changes in production demand, dissolution of political barriers, and adoption of stringent environmental and commercial legislation. Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has developed the System Composer, Virtual Collaborative Environment (VCE) and A{sup primed} technologies described in this paper that demonstrate an environment for flexible and efficient integration, interaction, and information exchange between disparate entities.

Robotic automation is examined as a possible alternative to manual spent nuclear fuel, transport cask and Multi-Purpose Canister (MPC) handling at a Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) facility. Automation of key operational aspects for the MRS/MPC system are analyzed to determine equipment requirements, throughput times and equipment costs is described. The economic and radiation dose impacts resulting from this automation are compared to manual handling methods.

Hazardous operations which have in the past been completed by technicians are under increased scrutiny due to high costs and low productivity associated with providing protective clothing and environments. As a result, remote systems are needed to accomplish many hazardous materials handling tasks such as the clean-up of waste sites in which the exposure of personnel to radiation, chemical, explosive and other hazardous constituents is unacceptable. Computer models augmented by sensing, and structured, modular computing environments are proving effective in automating many unstructured hazardous tasks. Work at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) has focused on applying flexible automation (robotics) to meet the needs of the U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE). Dismantling facilities, environmental remediation, and materials handling in changing, hazardous environments lead to many technical challenges. Computer planning, monitoring and operator assistance shorten training cycles, reduce errors, and speed execution of operations. Robotic systems that re-use well-understood generic technologies can be much better characterized than robotic systems developed for a particular application, leading to a more reliable and safer systems. Further safety in robotic operations results from use of environmental sensors and knowledge of the task and environment. Collision detection and avoidance is achieved from such sensor integration and model-based control. This paper discusses selected technologies developed at SNL for use within the USDOE complex that have been or are ready for transfer to government and industrial suppliers. These technologies include sensors, sub-systems, and the design philosophy applied to quickly integrate them into a working robotic system. This paper represents the work of many people at the Intelligent Systems and Robotics Center at SNL, to whom the credit belongs.

A Science Advisor Program has been established at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) for the long term augmentation of math and science instruction in New Mexico schools. Volunteer SNL engineers and scientists team with the faculty of participating schools to enhance the teachers` abilities to capture and hold the student`s scientific imagination and develop their scientific skills. This is done primarily through providing laboratory resources, training the teachers how to use those resources, and advising how to obtain them in the future. In its first year, over 140 advisors teamed with 132 schools, for average weekly contact with 500 teachers and 10,000 students. Surveys indicate a general rise in frequency and quality of hands-on science instruction, as well as teacher and student attitudes. An expanded evaluation is planned for subsequent years.

Spent fuel transportation casks have arrived at final destinations with removable surface contamination levels in excess of regulatory limits, although pre-transport surveys indicated removable contamination levels were well below these limits. The control of this in-transit ''weeping'' of surface contamination on pool-loaded spent fuel transport casks is of particular concern to both the US Department of Energy (DOE) and the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Weeping, also known as sweating, is the transformation of fixed radioactive particulates on an exterior surface of transport cask to a removable state. Weeping has been observed sometime after a cask is removed from a fuel pool and decontaminated. The weeping phenomenon is countered by time-consuming operational constraints and procedures which have a significant impact on cask turnaround times and occupational exposures at transport facilities. Further, the arrival of a contaminated cask results in negative public perceptions that are inconsistent with DOE and NRC goals. The objectives in resolving the technical issue of weeping are to identify specific causes of the weeping phenomenon, then to implement new cask design requirements and supporting operational procedures which will limit or inhibit the accumulation, retention, and in-transit conversion of fixed surface contamination. 6 figs., 1 tab.