A new paper published in the Sensors journal, demonstrates a Projective Linear Reconstruction (PLR) algorithm that can successfully locate a series of radiological sources to within 2 cm of the true locations, using a robotic arm.
This publication is a collaboration between researchers from across science and engineering disciplines at University of Bristol, with experts from the School of Physics' Interface Analysis Centre and the Department of Aerospace Engineering. The University of Bristol is a leader in nuclear robotics; it is a member of the National Centre for Nuclear Robotics and RAIN Hub research programmes, and leads the National Nuclear User Facility for Hot Robotics.
This research aims to support the effective and efficient sorting of nuclear waste, which requires accurate localisation and quantification of radiation, to ensure it is stored correctly. The use of robots for this task helps remove humans from radioactive environments, and allows for the automation of the process, reducing the chance of human error and the need for excessive conservatism.
The KUKA KR 150 system used, with a set of four sealed sources arranged on a table top. Inset—a detailed schematic of the detector and collimator setup.
Paper details
'Radioactive Source Localisation via Projective Linear Reconstruction’ by S White et al in Sensors, 2021 21(3).
Authors: S.R. White, K.T.Wood, P.G. Martin, D.T. Connor, T.B. Scott, D.A. Megson-Smith.