EurekAlert November 12, 2019
A team of researchers in the US (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University) is developing a prototype of autonomous, three-foot rolling robots armed with smart detectors to support nuclear safeguards and verify arms-control agreements. The demonstration confirmed that the robot could detect the source of neutrons and provided data. The “inspector bot” consists of a cylinder of polyethylene plastic containing three neutron counters set 120 degrees apart and mounted on a robot with specialized wheels that enable it to move in any direction. The detectors provide high sensitivity to the energy of detected neutrons and the direction from which neutrons are coming. Low energy could indicate shielding. When fully developed the robot could become part of a swarm of devices that carry out inspection tasks in different types of facilities. Proposed applications could include safeguarding gas centrifuge enrichment plants, detect introduction of low-enriched uranium into a slightly modified enrichment plant to produce weapons-grade uranium, and contribute to future disarmament treaties…read more.
Detector robot in PPPL hallway prior to neutron test. Credit: Elle Starkman/PPPL Office of Communications