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in subjects: "Robots"

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Object-oriented data handling system for an automated chemistry laboratory

The environmental-remediation efforts at DOE complexes require characterizing problems at each site before cleanup action. Characterization will require the chemical analysis of millions of samples at a significant cost. Automation of the required chemical analyses methods provides a cost-effective solution. An object-oriented approach was deemed necessary to allow for modularization, maintainability, reusability, and flexibility of the software and hardware. Each chemical analysis method is im… more

Date: January 1, 1991

Creator: Medvick, P.A.; Mniszewski, S.M. & Beugelsdijk, T.J.

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Examples of robots and teleoperators at the Savannah River Site

The Savannah River Site manufactures nuclear materials for the US Department of Energy. In recent years robots and mobile teleoperators have been used to reduce the radiation exposure of personnel at this site. Two examples of robots that have significantly reduced radiation exposure are the Shielded Cells Waste Handling Robot and the Shielded Cells Sample Handling Robot. The Shielded Cells Waste Handling Robot has been in operation for over four years. It removes cans of radioactive waste from… more

Date: January 1, 1989

Creator: Ward, C. R.; Heckendorn, F. M. & Vandewalle, R. C.

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Robotic sample preparation for radiochemical plutonium and americium analyses

A Zymate robotic system has been assembled and programmed to prepare samples for plutonium and americium analyses by radioactivity counting. The system performs two procedures: a simple dilution procedure and a TTA (xylene) extraction of plutonium. To perform the procedures, the robotic system executes 11 unit operations such as weighing, pipetting, mixing, etc. Approximately 150 programs, which require 64 kilobytes of memory, control the system. The system is now being tested with high-purity … more

Date: January 1, 1985

Creator: Stalnaker, N.; Beugelsdijk, T.; Thurston, A. & Quintana, J.

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Expert system control of a six-legged walking telerobot

The Robotics Technology Group of the Savannah River Laboratory has implemented a three-stage expert system for a six-legged walking telerobot. Remote operation of this machine requires the knowledge of a highly skilled operator. Stability, size, and mode of operation considerations must take place continuously, in general, much more so than with a typical wheeled vehicle. The technology employed provides for quasi-real-time computer control, manual control, and an expert advisor -- all in the s… more

Date: January 1, 1989

Creator: DeVries, K R

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Remote reactor repair: GTA (gas tungsten Arc) weld cracking caused by entrapped helium

A repair patch was welded to the wall of a nuclear reactor tank using remotely controlled thirty-foot long robot arms. Further repair was halted when gas tungsten arc (GTA) welds joining type 304L stainless steel patches to the 304 stainless steel wall developed toe cracks in the heat-affected zone (HAZ). The role of helium in cracking was investigated using material with entrapped helium from tritium decay. As a result of this investigation, and of an extensive array of diagnostic tests perfor… more

Date: January 1, 1988

Creator: Kanne, W. R., Jr.

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Overview of the DOE Waste Facilities Operations Robotics Technology Development Program

The Department of Energy's Office of Technology Development has initiated a Robotics Technology Development Program that includes technology aimed at DOE Waste Facilities Operations (WFO). Much of this technology may also be applicable to waste facilities outside of DOE and will be available for use. This is a team effort of several DOE Laboratories and Sites. The WFO team includes the Savannah River Technology Center, Sandia National Laboratories, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Idaho National … more

Date: January 1, 1992

Creator: Ward, C. R.

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Answers to questions about updated estimates of occupational radiation doses at Three Mile Island, Unit 2

The purpose of this question and answer report is to provide a clear, easy-to-understand explanation of revised radiation dose estimates which workers are likely to receive over the course of the cleanup at Three Mile Island, Unit 2, and of the possible health consequences to workers of these new estimates. We will focus primarily on occupational dose, although pertinent questions about public health and safety will also be answered.

Date: December 1, 1983

Item Type: Report

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

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Nuclear technologies for Moon and Mars exploration

Nuclear technologies are essential to successful Moon and Mars exploration and settlements. Applications can take the form of nuclear propulsion for transport of crews and cargo to Mars and the Moon; surface power for habitats and base power; power for human spacecraft to Mars; shielding and life science understanding for protection against natural solar and cosmic radiations; radioisotopes for sterilization, medicine, testing, and power; and resources for the benefits of Earth. 5 refs., 9 figs… more

Date: January 1, 1991

Creator: Buden, D.

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Application of robotics in nuclear facilities

Industrial robots and other robotic systems have been successfully applied at the Savannah River nuclear site. These applications, new robotic systems presently under development, general techniques for the employment of robots in nuclear facilities, and future systems are discussed.

Date: January 1, 1986

Creator: Byrd, J S & Fisher, J J

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Wet chemical analysis with a laboratory robotic system

Emphasis on laboratory automation has increased in recent years. The desire to improve analytical reliability, increase productivity, and reduce exposure of personnel to hazardous materials has been fundamental to this increase. The Savannah River Laboratory (SRL) performs research and development on nuclear materials. Development of methods to increase efficiency and safety and to reduce exposure of personnel to radioactive materials is an ongoing process at our site. Robotic systems offer a p… more

Date: January 1, 1984

Creator: Burkett, S D; Dyches, G M & Spencer, W A

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Shielded cells transfer automation

Nuclear waste from shielded cells is removed, packaged, and transferred manually in many nuclear facilities. Radiation exposure is absorbed by operators during these operations and limited only through procedural controls. Technological advances in automation using robotics have allowed a production waste removal operation to be automated to reduce radiation exposure. The robotic system bags waste containers out of glove box and transfers them to a shielded container. Operators control the syst… more

Date: January 1, 1984

Creator: Fisher, J J

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Robotic capabilities for printed wiring assembly processing

Automation is widely used in the electronic industry for the manufacture of printed wiring assemblies (PWAs). Literature reviews and visits with some automation vendors revealed that robotics are used when processing flexibility is required. Robotic development work at the Allied-Signal Inc., Kansas City Division (KCD) resulted in the fabrication of three robot workcells. The capabilities of two robotic Component Preparation (RCP) workcells, that had been developed and fabricated to tin compone… more

Date: October 1, 1991

Creator: Groot, K.J.

Item Type: Report

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

The use and development of teleoperators for hostile environment applications at Savannah River Site

The Robotics Development Group (RDG) of the Westinghouse Savannah River Company (WSRC) has used a variety of teleoperated vehicles, arms, and support equipment in hostile environment applications at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS). WSRC primarily uses teleoperated hardware to eliminate or significantly reduce personnel exposure in radioactive activities or other hazardous tasks. Teleoperators at SRS handle radioactive material, decontaminate areas contaminated with… more

Date: January 1, 1991

Creator: Fogle, R. F.

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Converting a commercial electric direct-drive robot to operate from joint torque commands

Many robot control algorithms for high performance in-contact operations including hybrid force/position, stiffness control and impedance control approaches require the command the joint torques. However, most commercially available robots do not provide joint torque command capabilities. The joint command at the user level is typically position or velocity and at the control developer level is voltage, current, or pulse-width, and the torque generated is a nonlinear function of the command and… more

Date: July 1, 1991

Creator: Muir, P. F.

Item Type: Report

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Engineering Physics and Mathematics Division progress report for period ending March 31, 1991

The primary purpose of this report is to provide an archival record of the activities of the Engineering Physics and Mathematics Division during the period September 1, 1989 through March 31, 1991. Earlier reports in this series are identified on the previous pages, along with the progress reports describing ORNL's research on the mathematical sciences prior to 1984 when those activities moved into the division. As in previous reports, our research is described through abstracts of journal arti… more

Date: October 1, 1991

Item Type: Report

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

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Robotic and nuclear safety for an automated/teleoperated glove box system

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is developing a fully automated system to handle the processing of special nuclear materials (SNM). This work is performed in response to the new goals at the Department of Energy (DOE) for hazardous waste minimization and radiation dose reduction. This fully automated system, called the automated test bed (ATB), consists of an IBM gantry robot and automated processing equipment sealed within a glove box. While the ATB is a cold system, we are desig… more

Date: September 1, 1991

Creator: Domning, E.E. (Lawrence Livermore National Lab., CA (United States)); McMahon, T.T. & Sievers, R.H. (Science Applications International Corp., Pleasanton, CA (United States))

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Robot Development for Nuclear Material Processing

The Department of Energy is seeking to modernize its special nuclear material (SNM) production facilities and concurrently reduce radiation exposures and process and incidental radioactive waste generated. As part of this program, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) lead team is developing and adapting generic and specific applications of commercial robotic technologies to SNM pyrochemical processing and other operations. A working gantry robot within a sealed processing glove box and… more

Date: July 1, 1991

Creator: Pedrotti, L. R.; Armantrout, G. A.; Allen, D. C. & Sievers, R. H., (Sr.)

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

SIMON Host Computer System requirements and recommendations

Development Service Order {number sign}90025 requested recommendations for computer hardware, operating systems, and software development utilities based on current and future SIMON software requirements. Since SIMON's main objective is to be dispatched on missions by an operator with little computer experience, user friendly'' hardware and software interfaces are required. Other design criteria include: a fluid software development environment, and hardware and operating systems with minimal m… more

Date: November 29, 1990

Creator: Harpring, L.J.

Item Type: Report

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Infrared Sensing Techniques for Adaptive Robotic Welding

The objective of this research is to investigate the feasibility of using infrared sensors to monitor the welding process. Data were gathered using an infrared camera which was trained on the molten metal pool during the welding operation. Several types of process perturbations which result in weld defects were then intentionally induced and the resulting thermal images monitored. Gas tungsten arc using ac and dc currents and gas metal arc welding processes were investigated using steel, alumin… more

Date: January 1, 1986

Creator: Lin, T. T.; Groom, K.; Madsen, N. H. & Chin, B. A.

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Autonomous navigation of a mobile robot using custom-designed qualitative reasoning VLSI chips and boards

Two types of computer boards including custom-designed VLSI chips have been developed to add a qualitative reasoning capability to the real-time control of autonomous mobile robots. The design and operation of these boards are first described and an example of their use for the autonomous navigation of a mobile robot is presented. The development of qualitative reasoning schemes emulating human-like navigation is a-priori unknown environments is discussed. The efficiency of such schemes, which … more

Date: January 1, 1991

Creator: Pin, F.G.; Pattay, R.S. (Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)); Watanabe, H. & Symon, J. (North Carolina Univ., Chapel Hill, NC (United States). Dept. of Computer Science)

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

A capacitance-based proximity sensor for whole arm obstacle avoidance

This paper addresses the issue of collision avoidance in unknown or partially modeled environments using a capacitive sensor. An eight channel capacitance-based sensor system which can detect obstacles up to 400 mm (16 inches) away has been developed. This sensor can detect both conductive and non-conductive obstacles of arbitrary color and shape. The sensor hardware is reliable and inexpensive, and it may be fabricated using flexible printed circuit boards to provide whole-arm and joint protec… more

Date: January 1, 1991

Creator: Novak, J.L. & Feddema, J.T.

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Mobile teleoperator research at Savannah River Laboratory

A Robotics Technology Group was organized at Savannah River Laboratory to employ modern automation and robotics for applications at the Savannah River site. Several industrial robots have been installed in plant processes. Other robotics systems are under development in the laboratories, including mobile teleoperators for general remote tasks and emergency response operations. This paper discusses present work on a low-cost wheeled mobile vehicle, a modular light duty manipulator arm, a large g… more

Date: January 1, 1985

Creator: Byrd, J S

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Inspection of storage tanks at the Savannah River Site

Inspections have been performed on over 200 storage tanks since the startup of the Savannah River Site in 1955. The tanks contain a variety of fluids, including alum, fuel, oil, waste oil, sodium hydroxide, chlorine, sodium hypochlorite, and sulfuric acid. Many inspection methods have been developed over the years, starting with visual and progressing to manual, straight-beam ultrasonic thicknesses at specific tank locations and then to automated ultrasonic thickness mapping. This paper will re… more

Date: January 1, 1992

Creator: Vormelker, P.R. & Elder, J.B. (Westinghouse Savannah River Co., Aiken, SC (United States))

Item Type: Article

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department

open access

Tribological sinks in emerging industries: electronics and robotics

This report describes a preliminary review of the impact of tribological effects - losses due to friction and wear - in two emerging industries: robotics and electronics. Major sources of tribological wear in the robotics industry include the chains used to drive the robots and the joints in the elbow and wrist. In the electronics industry, the largest source of tribological wear is the particulate wear of vacuum pumps used in corrosive environments. Other significant sources of wear are the co… more

Date: August 1, 1986

Creator: Russell, J.A. & Hane, G.J.

Item Type: Report

Partner: UNT Libraries Government Documents Department