Congratulations to Dr Xiaoxiao Cheng and the team for being awarded ACORN creation scheme funds for their project Tactile-based Swabbing Using the Spot Robot for Nuclear Inspection (TSURONI).
This project aims to advance a tactile-enabled robotic swabbing system towards real-world deployment in hazardous environments. The work will focus on the design and development of a novel tactile-based swabbing tool for the Spot Robot equipped with a manipulator, enabling controlled surface contact on complex and irregular geometries.
The swabbing tool will integrate tactile and force sensing to provide accurate feedback, addressing the current limitation of absent force control in mobile robotic swabbing manipulation. The project will demonstrate the integration of the swabbing tool with the robotic arm and evaluate both autonomous and teleoperated swabbing strategies. Autonomous control methods will be explored to ensure consistent contact force during surface interaction, while teleoperation modes will deliver realtime force feedback to enhance operator awareness and task safety.
To validate performance in a representative setting, a mock-up waste store with barrels will be constructed, allowing systematic testing under conditions closely resembling those found in nuclear facilities. By delivering a functional prototype and validated demonstrator, this project will advance the technology from proof-of-concept towards a deployable solution, supporting future translation into industrial nuclear inspection and decommissioning applications.
