The Special Design & Technological Bureau of Applied Robotics, was commissioned by Rosatom, to design and manufacture an amphibious robot to work in emergency zones at nuclear facilities. It can carry out visual reconnaissance on land and under water, capture and move objects of various shapes weighing up to 25 kg.

“The mobile robot is a four-track chassis with a manipulator,” says Ilya Laverychev, Deputy General Director of the bureau. “The robot is controlled by the operator from the console, either remotely or by cable, depending on external conditions and the technology of work. The operator controls the situation in the area of the manipulator in real time using television cameras.

The manoeuvrable chassis allows the robot to move along the destroyed flights of stairs, overcome blockages, "fold" in tight spaces, rise "on tiptoe" if you need to take an object that is high. The robot is made of aluminium and stainless alloys. Its mass without attachments is about 150 kg. The charge of the built-in accumulator batteries will last for 5-6 hours.

“The robot can dive under water to a depth of 3.5 metres,” says Laverychev. “Tests have confirmed the durability and performance of the robot components and control system units when exposed to gamma radiation with a power of up to 6.5 Gy/h for more than 200 hours. The complex can carry out reconnaissance and rescue operations in mines, including flooded mines, as well as under rubble formed during earthquakes.”

Image: Russia's amphibious robot designed to work in emergency zones at nuclear facilities (courtesy of Rosatom)