Engineers have created a robot for dismantling waste nuclear reactors

Decommissioning a nuclear reactor is a long and expensive job that requires a very high level of

In addition, it is an activity that must be carried out in a highly radioactive environment contaminated with all levels of nuclear waste.

To solve this problem and reduce the risk of milking people's health, researchers have developed a robot that , using special image processing software and a Microsoft Kinect camera, can  grab and cut objects with multiple manipulators, such as reactor rods or pipes, without the operator having to control its every movement.

The system allows the operator to instruct the robot to grab or cut an object with four clicks.Testing showed that operators using our development completed their work faster and were less tired than those who use itOur development allows you to control the robot more efficiently and significantly reduces theoperator's workload.

James Taylor, lead author of the study

Previously, Massachusetts engineersInstitute of Technology (MIT) have developed an algorithm that will allow robots to predict the direction of human movement. This will simplify the collaboration of robots and humans in the future.