An Alpha/Beta Radiation Mapping Method Using Simultaneous Localization and Mapping for Nuclear Power Plants

Abstract

Nuclear safety has always been a focal point in the field of nuclear applications. Mobile robots carrying specific sensors for nuclear-radiation detection have become an alternative to manual detection. This work presents an autonomous α/β radiation mapping framework, using a mobile robot carrying a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) and a nuclear-radiation-detection sensor. The method employs simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) techniques and radiation-detection sensors. Cartographer is adopted as a demonstration example to map the unknown environment. Radiation data are obtained through the radiation detection sensor and projected onto the environment map after coordinate alignment. The color-coded radiation map is shown on the environment map according to the dose rate. The simulation and real-environment experiments in a robot-operating system (ROS) validate the effectiveness of the proposed method in different radiation scenarios for both indoor and outdoor environments.