Mechanical Technology, Inc., Latham, NY (United States)
Abstract
Robotic systems for remediation of hazardous waste sites must be highly reliable to avoid equipment failures and subsequent possible exposure of personnel to hazardous environments. Safe, efficient cleanup operations also require accurate, complete knowledge of the task space. This paper presents progress made on a 18 month program to meet these needs. To enhance robot reliability, a conceptual design of a monitoring and diagnostic system is being developed to predict the onset of mechanical failure modes, provide maximum lead time to make operational changes or repairs, and minimize the occurrence of on-site breakdowns. To ensure safe operation, a comprehensive software package is being developed that will fuse data from multiple surface mapping sensors and poses so as to reduce the error effects in individual data points and provide accurate 3-D maps of a work space
