Performing Remote IAEA Safeguards Inspections Using Digital Engineering, HoloLens Mixed Reality, and Ambulatory Robotics

Year
2022
Author(s)
Jack Cavaluzzi - Idaho National Laboratory
Gustavo Reyes - Idaho National Laboratory (INL) BEA
Kaleb Houck - Idaho National Laboratory (INL) BEA
Abstract
This paper will introduce the growing Digital Engineering (DE) department at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) and some of the tools they are building. The paper will then expand on a recent proposal on applying DE tools to problems like nuclear nonproliferation. INL researchers have recently proposed a proof-of-concept effort to equip, test and demonstrate a remotely operated mobile robot equipped with gamma and neutron sensors, 3D LIDAR scanning capability and multi-camera surveillance. The robot is expected to be purchased during the summer of 2022 by INL’s nuclear nonproliferation division. The proposed project will combine emerging commercial technologies with INL’s DE software expertise to create a useful tool tailored to nuclear material assessment needs of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors and Advanced Reactor (AR) operators. The mechanical component of the system is a Boston Dynamic Spot Robot which currently has built-in capabilities for both remote and autonomous control. Spot comes with a rich software development kit which will permit easier software integration and extension to further customize the robot’s capabilities. INL’s data warehouse DeepLynx will enable real-time data transfer between the robot’s sensors, signature analysis software, and user interface. The objective of the project is to create a system which can perform remote inspections/assessments and provide on-the-fly radiological sensor data analysis. The main expected outcome of the project is a prototype robot system with the following capabilities: (1) Remote operation (2) Autonomous operation (3) Automatic sensor data management and record keeping (4) Real-time data analysis and display – user customizable mixed reality dashboard can display both raw and processed data.