robotics

PENSACOLA, Fla. – Donning devices that help relieve stress on workers’ muscles and joints or create a virtual reality simulating a worksite, more than 40 members of a team recently met in person for the first time since fiscal 2020 to evaluate technology to improve the safety and well-being of EM’s workforce. The team gathered at the Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) in Pensacola. IHMC is among the organizations…

PHOENIX – A wide range of robotics developed by universities and used in EM’s cleanup were on display at this year’s Waste Management Symposia.    One of three Florida International University robots deployed at EM sites, the Mini Rover is a miniature robotic system designed for inspection of double-shell tank floors at the Hanford Site. It can be deployed to slots from the annulus and provides visual feedback as it maneuvers through…

Featured at the Waste Management Symposia 2018 in Phoenix, the NASA Valkyrie weighs 300 pounds, and stands 6 feet, 2 inches tall. While EM is many years from using a humanoid robot, Valkyrie’s highly dexterous arms could replace gloves in EM glove boxes, making work easier and safer for laboratory technicians and workers. Tele-operated robotic arms and manipulators could provide key advances in glove box and hot cell design and operations. NASA…

Thank you to our local tv station for stopping by ARC’s Robotics and Sensors lab today. Our DOE Fellows and researchers did a great job demonstrating our robotics/remote system technologies being development for the US Department of Energy’s Office of Environmental Management. Big thanks to FIU and Millie Acebal for including FIU’s Applied Research Center.

Technology Description The pneumatic crawler is an inspection tool designed to inspect radioactive pipelines with variable sizes around 3 and 4 inches in diameter, while providing video, environmental and structural feedback. The device is currently being developed at the Applied Research Center (ARC) at FIU for the robotic inspection of the ventilation header of the AY-102 tank storing radioactive waste at Hanford site. The proposed worm type robot has a…

Technology Description Wall Climber – A robotic vehicle that is able to climb a vertical flat surface for the purposes of monitoring and inspection. Capable of climbing a vertical flat surface. Low-cost design, ease of operation. Remote controlled, various sensor integrations. Program Contact: Dr. Leonel Lagos 10555 West Flagler St, Suite 2100 Miami, FL 33174 (305) 378-1810 lagosl@fiu.edu Technical Contact: Dr. William Tan 10555 West Flagler St, Suite 2100 Miami,…

FIU’s Applied Research Center (ARC) is supporting the U.S. Department of Energy’s Hanford Site by developing robotic technologies for the evaluation of Tank 241-AY-102 and other similar tanks.  Tank waste has recently been discovered in the annulus of AY-102. Inspection tools are needed to isolate and pinpoint the source of the material entering the annulus. These tools will need to provide video feedback so that an assessment can be made…

Technology Description Miniature inspection rover for the inspection of the refractories of the double-shell tank at Hanford site. Miniature robotic system that equipped with a camera for visual feedback, and navigate semi-autonomously for the refractory’s visual inspections. Low cost, easily swappable and disposable. Integration of inspection sensors for measuring temperature, humidity and radiation level along the refractory channels. Program Contact: Dr. Leonel Lagos 10555 West Flagler St, Suite 2100 Miami,…

ARC’s robotics lab is featured in this WSVN-7 Miami Prep – STEM piece showcasing the robotics/remote system technologies being developed under the DOE EM – FIU Cooperative Agreement. Big congratulations to College of Eng and ARC colleagues. This was a wonderful collaboration. Read full story