News archive
RAICo Labs in West Cumbria event – 13th May
RAICo Labs in West Cumbria – Smart people using smart machine Virtual event – Thursday 13th May 2021 The proposed Robotics and AI Collaboration Laboratory in Cumbria will enable end users and the supply chain, including academia, to work collaboratively towards developing and delivering the next generation of robotics services, using nuclear decommissioning as a ...
RACE engineer oversees start of the ESS pit lid installation in Sweden
One of RACE’s graduates – James Lawton-Smith – had the chance to travel to Sweden to oversee the installation of the pit lids on the European Spallation Source (ESS) project. The ESS will be the world’s most powerful neutron source once complete. The UK is one of 17 European countries involved and construction is expected ...
£3 million nuclear robotics contract is first tranche in LongOps UK-Japan deal
UKAEA has awarded Veolia Nuclear Solutions (UK) and Wälischmiller Engineering GmbH separate contracts totalling £3 million to supply robotic manipulator arms to its RACE research facility. The £3M contract stems from the £12M UK-Japanese robotics deal for fusion energy and nuclear decommissioning research, called “LongOps”, announced in January this year. LongOps will support the delivery ...
RACE EC&I teams increase despite Covid
RACE has been continually growing with the help of recruitment programmes throughout the pandemic, in addition to the sought-after graduate scheme that UKAEA provides. The Electrical Control and Instrumentation (EC&I )teams are no different, having expanded during 2020. The new arrivals complement those who have been with RACE for a number of years and are ...
CorteX at Sellafield
We talk to Rob Skilton, Head of Research Programme – Robotics/Remote Handling at RACE, about an event at Sellafield at the end of 2020. Why were members of the RACE team at Sellafield? We were invited to showcase a solution that could standardise Sellafield’s robotics framework for communications and the way that their robots are ...
£12M UK-Japan robotics deal
Britain and Japan have signed a research and technology deployment collaboration to help automate nuclear decommissioning and aspects of fusion energy production. A world-leading alliance, it will see new robotics and automation techniques applied to both fusion research and to decommissioning nuclear facilities in Japan and the UK. The £12M UK-Japanese robotics project, called ‘LongOps’, will ...
RACE’s Professor Rob Buckingham celebrated in New Year’s Honours list
The UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Director of RACE, Professor Robert Buckingham, has been awarded an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to robotic engineering. The full New Year Honours list for 2021 recognises the achievements and service of extraordinary people across the United Kingdom. Reflecting on the award, Professor ...
RACE demo IRTF project to ITER
RACE has been running demonstrations of the latest IRTF project, IA5, to ITER via a live stream. Read about in the latest edition of the ITER Newsline. IA5 – Test Blanket Module IA5 demonstrates the feasibility of using remote handling to manoeuvre a mock-up of the ITER Test Blanket Module. In future fusion reactors, blanket ...
Updating JET’s remote handling system
The Joint European Torus (JET) is the world’s largest and most powerful fusion research device. The JET design includes a bespoke system for remote maintenance. Its 12m long snake-like booms reach into the vacuum vessel, delivering cameras and tools that enable operators to work remotely. The primary tool is MASCOT, a local-remote manipulator with haptic ...
New IRTF Animation
RACE’s latest animation shows the 4th IA in the IRTF programme – the VVPSS prototype remote maintenance strategy. VVPSS, the Vacuum Vessel Pressure Suppression System, allows operators to open a vacuum flange on a pipe, whilst maintaining containment. Two prototype tools, a Flange Bolting Tool and Containment Tool, have been designed by RACE engineers. At ...
