UK engineering firm Forth has designed and manufactured a robot that can operate in disaster zones, in the event of an incident, from a command and control centre a safe distance away. The Rescue Robot has been trialled at the Sellafield Ltd nuclear site and Forth is now looking to extend its use to other plants.
“The Rescue Robot is a pioneering development which has already been successfully tested in hazardous environments, and it has been manufactured to offer a safe, remotely operated alternative to sending humans into disaster zones,” explained Mark Telford, Forth’s Managing Director. “By working with Sellafield Ltd, we were able to prove the machine is able to withstand some particularly dangerous conditions, and its various adaptations and capabilities mean that this will be a real asset to the UK’s nuclear industry.”
The Rescue Robot is built on a 1.6 tonne JCB compactor excavator platform and is fitted with high tech robotics systems and wireless technology. It also has specialist, robust cameras and lights which won’t be destroyed in hazardous conditions. Its specialist 700bar rescue tool can cut through any hazards in its way and a grapple hook can move any obstruction. It has the ability to tow a trailer with a fitted hopper to disperse a sand to contain spillages and is fitted with an affixative spraying system to contain a nuclear spillage. The robot is also tetherless and can be controlled from a safe space in the control centre, up to 150 metres away.
“There are endless amounts of modifications and end effectors which can be included on the robot, and we are excited to be able to provide a product which will make working in nuclear plants across the country much safer, while also saving industry a substantial amount of money,” Telford noted. “Sellafield Ltd required the development of a 1.6 tonne robot, but we are able to adapt the product to any size and also fit it with any type of tools or end effectors to fit the nature of the project.”
A Rescue Robot is now permanently situated in Sellafield Ltd and is on standby to safely carry out any emergency work. Gus Harding, Sellafield Ltd Security & Resilience Operations Manager, said: “The introduction of the Rescue Robot provides huge benefits in helping to keep humans out of harm’s way if we ever need to respond to an emergency situation. The Sellafield site is the perfect testing ground for this sort of innovative technology and having a machine like this so readily available gives everybody peace of mind.”
Image: The Rescue Robot (courtesy of Forth)
