Remote inspection system for hazardous sites

摘要

Long term storage of special nuclear materials poses a number of problems. One of these is a need to inspect the items being stored from time to time. Yet the environment is hostile to man, with significant radiation exposure resulting from prolonged presence in the storage facility. This paper describes research to provide a remote inspection capability, which could lead to eliminating the need for humans to enter a nuclear storage facility. While there are many ways in which an RI system might be created, this paper describes the development of a prototype remote inspection system, which utilizes virtual reality technology along with robotics. The purpose of this system is to allow the operator to establish a safe and realistic telepresence in a remote environment. In addition, it was desired that the user interface for the system be as intuitive to use as possible, thus eliminating the need for extensive training. The goal of this system is to provide a robotic platform with two cameras, which are capable of providing accurate and reliable stereographic images of the remote environment. One application for the system is that it might be driven down the corridors of a nuclear storage facility and utilized to inspect the drums inside, all without the need for physical human presence. Thus, it is not a true virtual reality system providing simulated graphics, but rather an augmented reality system, which performs remote inspection of an existing, real environment.