Precise radioactive source installation using dual-manipulator remote mobile robot for the AD ATRAP experiment at CERN

Most of the maintenance activities in radioactive environments involving mobile manipulators are related to dismantling and decommissioning, in which, usually, little accuracy during the operation is needed. Mobile manipulators designed for this purpose, lack that level of accuracy necessary for accomplishing particular tasks, in which high precision and care are necessary. This lack of accuracy can be overcome using appropriate control strategies on the robot, accurate Human-Robot Interface procedures and dedicated tooling that will increase the overall operational efficiency and the safety and reduce the operator’s stress. In this paper, the precise installation of a Cs-137 radioactive source for the CERN’s AD ATRAP experiment using a remote mobile robot equipped with two robotic manipulators is presented. The preparation, the hardware, the tooling, the software and the operation have been implemented and executed following the guidelines of the CERNTAURO framework for remote intervention in radioactive environments. In this work will be presented an intervention procedure starting from the full custom design of the tools, operational steps needed and training for the operators, needed to archive a successful robotic tele manipulated intervention, giving an overview of the problematic of the application.