For the first time since 1999, an identical superhero twin of a Jenga-playing robot with a human touch that is used to maintain a fusion energy machine where temperatures can reach higher than the sun has been reunited with the machine.
Both MASCOTs are being put through their paces in a series of practise “rescue missions,” where each one saves its stranded sibling to prevent any potential disruption to the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), Oxfordshire’s cutting-edge fusion energy research.
The creation of “self-recovering” robots that can operate in environments where humans cannot is essential to the long-term viability and low-carbon energy source of fusion.
Over 40 engineers at the UKAEA’s robotics lab, RACE (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments), have been working on the £1.5 million, 32-month project funded by the EUROfusion programme to support fusion powerplants and future science experiments on fusion energy machines like JET and its successor, ITER, in the south of France.
“Robotic systems are an integral part of putting fusion energy on the grid for the design and maintenance of future fusion powerplants,” said Gary Hermon, Remote Handling Lead Technologist at UKAEA. We cannot afford to have a stuck robot!
Assuring that its twin can always be saved while working on the maintenance of JET, our machine where EUROfusion researchers set a sustained fusion energy record announced earlier this year, the second MASCOT is now in place.
The UK is at the forefront of this technology and expertise because JET is currently the only fusion energy machine in the world that uses remote handling and robotics for maintenance.
This video depicts the meeting of the two MASCOTs as engineers compete to improve their Jenga skills.
Each MASCOT has two gripper-equipped arms that can control more than 900 custom tools.
The UKAEA’s remote handing team operates the MASCOTs from a control room equipped with live camera feeds and virtual reality (VR) screens for more precise views.
The MASCOTs are each deployed into JET, or its replica training vessel, on the end of an articulated 12-meter boom.
To maintain the UKAEA’s fusion energy machine, skilled operators operate each MASCOT using two robot arms to perform tasks like replacing tiles, welding, cutting, dust collection, and surveying.
Robotics and other cutting-edge technologies created for fusion are anticipated to have applications in a variety of fields, including mining, space exploration, healthcare, and transportation.