Chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) substances can
pose a significant risk to public health, especially in confined
spaces which concentrate vapours and spills. Robots, however,
allow the human operators to manage any contamination but remain
at a safe distance away from any harmful substances.
In a ‘real life' scenario played out in an empty shopping unit,
the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) tested
the ability of robotic and autonomous systems to navigate through
a building and detect, sample and remediate (clean) a
contaminated environment.
This trial builds on experience from a previous trial by
deploying the machines in an operational setting and improving
their technical capability.
Urban interior spaces pose numerous challenges, such as:
- low lighting
- obstacles
- high or difficult to reach surfaces
Drones can also struggle with interior airflow and navigation
between walls and structures of the same colour.
Ian, Dstl's
technical lead, said:
This trial has allowed us to bridge the gap between research and
the operational environment. Dstl has
expertise in operational analysis, uncrewed vehicles and
autonomy. We bring all these together to deliver cutting-edge
science to improve UK resilience.
Specialist equipment
Dstl worked
with a range of innovative academic and industrial partners
deploying specialist equipment in the Department for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)
funded trial. This included the following.
Multi-directional drone
Autonomous devices have created a multi-directional drone with a
swabbing system to test for contamination and apply
decontamination spray.
Robot control software
Createc have developed world-leading robot control software to
enable their fleet of robots to gather information and samples to
deal with an incident including a drone, a robot dog and
four-wheeled vehicles.
These vehicles are autonomous but can be switched over to remote
control if required, and they can:
- climb stairs
- open car doors
- use tools
Uncrewed ground vehicle
The University of Bristol is pioneering an uncrewed ground
vehicle with a robotic arm that would work with a tethered drone
to carry out decontamination with a spray system at a range of
heights.
Ewen, Defra
recovery science lead, said:
These sorts of trials are critical for us to deliver the best
value for taxpayers' money. Not only do they allow us to test our
newly developed techniques and technologies in representative
environments, but they often throw up exciting new possibilities
and opportunities for development which would be far less
apparent in a lab context.
Dstl and
Defra
partnership
This trial is the latest in a series for the Defra,
the UK's lead government department for recovery, who are
responsible for the environmental remediation following a
homeland CBR contamination
event.
Defra
has partnered with Dstl to
establish a National Technical Advisory Group for CBR Recovery
(NTAG-R).
It will provide authoritative technical advice on the
requirements and capabilities needed to conduct CBR recovery
operations.
