The Remote Sensing Laboratory–Andrews (RSLA) initiated an advanced robotic systems feasibility study project under the Site Directed Research and Development (SDRD) in 2023. Two prototype systems with radiation detection sensors were developed and tested for use in the forensics investigation of debris produced from explosively dispersed radioactive materials. To automate the robots, an Arduino microcontroller was added, and instead of reading signals directly from the radio control receiver, the system takes signals from the motor controller. The robots can be programmed to drive various search and survey patterns. Mapping results obtained by deploying this robotic system will be presented. The Arduino microcontroller system was chosen for this project for its value as a prototyping tool. Specifically, the Mega 2560 R3 model was chosen for its multiple data inputs and low power draw, allowing it to be integrated into the originally designed robotic system without requiring additional power capacity. The Arduino system is designed to be easily modified and can serve as a proof of concept for further development with proprietary systems in the future. The system was programmed in C++ using the Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment). Issues arose during development when attempting to use the software library developed by the manufacturer of the Sabertooth controller, but when that was replaced in favor of a standard motor control library, the robot functioned as intended. The prototypes used to measure a baseline ground truth of a radiation field; these will be compared to low flying Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for optimizing flight profiles.
In the aftermath of a radiological dispersal device (RDD) or dirty bomb explosion one of the priorities of health and safety efforts is to characterize the radiation contamination in the affected area including ground zero, which could be in very high radiation area where measurements by human cannot be performed. The Nevada Nuclear Security Site (NNSS) at Remote Sensing Laboratory (RSL) at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland has designed, developed, and deployed a couple of remote-controlled robots to mount a 4” x 4” x 2” sodium iodide scintillator about (~0.6 m) for radiological contamination mapping that can work in high radiation dose area. The device is most useful in large area contamination characterization and detecting invisible embedded sub-micron particulate debris with gamma radioactivity from surface/subsurface up to a depth of 3” underground for forensic work. The system employs a configurable four wheel drive All Terrain Robot from SuperDroid Robots. The robot comes with a 24-inch x 24-inch aluminum chassis to house the four motors, motor driver, wheels, and batteries. The 10-inch all terrain pneumatic wheels are powered by Model IG52-04 24 VDC 136 RPM gear motors. This device development project provided a versatile and robust platform for deployment of ground sensors to collect, and document radiation monitoring data with meta data from multiple modality (still video images, gamma neutron images). By deploying a number of these in the field for both Preventative Radiological Nuclear Detection (PRND) operations and Consequence Management (CM) monitoring purpose it supports a gamut of NNSA emergency response operations. Future work will involve establishing communications between these robotic platforms using radios like MPU5 and resident third-party software to provide multiple algorithms based on Bayesian decision making.
A team of scientists from the Remote Sensing Laboratory at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, has assembled a remotecontrolled robot to field a few sodium iodide scintillators of different sizes and shapes 18″ above ground for measurement of ground deposition of gamma-emitting particles after an explosion of a radiological dispersal device. This system uses a high-precision differential GPS device with submeter accuracy for radiation mapping. The system is most useful in characterizing large-area contamination and detecting gamma radioactivity in invisible, submicron particulate debris deposited on the ground at surface level or embedded in subsurface up to 3″ deep. The system was assembled as part of a larger effort to integrate advanced radiological detection devices into autonomous or remote-controlled robotic systems to eliminate or minimize the need for emergency responders to enter areas that pose significant health and safety risks to humans following a major radiological incident or accident. Research into autonomous algorithms is required to develop automated robotic systems for radiological survey and characterization activities in highly contaminated areas. The scope of this project also includes developing communications pathways and supporting infrastructure capabilities for different types of robotic technologies. The expected result is an advanced autonomous robotic system with integrated radiation detection electronics that allows emergency response personnel to view data remotely and in real time for radiological emergency response and consequence management purposes.
The Nevada National Security Site (NNSS) provides a comprehensive bicoastal radiological and nuclear emergency response to United States Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration. A major part of the support is to provide systematic radiological search for lost or stolen sources, Radiological search is a core competency of the NNSS with its origin dating back to nuclear weapons test era. Search operations from multiple platforms is the common thread among the various NNSS assets, which include Aerial Measuring System (AMS), Maritime Support Team (MST), National Capitol Response (NCR), National Search Team (NST) and Radiological Assistance Program (RAP). Information collected and analyzed during search operations add to the actionable intelligence for the law enforcement agencies and provide valuable guidance for the tactical resolution of a nuclear or radiological crisis. Search is an intelligence and situational awareness driven operation and most often called upon during a radiological emergency, however it can be brought into play to thwart a potential threat by providing monitoring and surveillance support. The Office of Nuclear Incident Response (NA-84) serves as the technical leader in responding to and resolving nuclear and radiological threats worldwide and integrates its efforts with other NNSA stakeholders (e.g., NNSA office of Defense Nuclear Non-proliferation NA-22). The response includes expertise in the areas of radiological search, render safe, and consequence management. This article will discuss the methodologies, tools, procedures, and techniques to extract maximum radiological characterization information (isotopic composition, activities for individual isotopes, threat assessment etc.) from field monitoring or Search operation data.
This study describes the application development of multiple-input multiple-output radios to provide persistent mobile ad hoc network (MANET) for the Department of Homeland Security. By using Man Portable Unit (MPU5) fifth generation radios (manufactured by Persistent Systems) with the Android Team Awareness Kit (ATAK), an Android smartphone geospatial infrastructure and military situational awareness application, the Remote Sensing Laboratory has developed a MANET connectivity to monitor deployed nuclear/radiological search operation assets. Network-capable radiation monitoring systems such as backpacks, vehicle-mounted sensors, and high-resolution high-purity germanium (HPGe) detectors have been integrated to facilitate surveillance operations, routine maintenance and status of health checks, radiation alerts and alarm monitoring, and adjudication. This network connectivity application is particularly useful for maritime search operations. Shipboard search is conducted with backpack detectors and long dwell detector systems. Search techniques that involve the use of spectral anomaly detection algorithms applied to data from low-resolution gamma detectors, as well as the use of spatial interpolation tools, provide higher sensitivity to masked sources that may elude basic gross-count-rate-based algorithms. Small-vessel search techniques involve mounting large-volume mobile detectors on small boats and operating them in the same way as land-based mobile detection systems (i.e., searching for radiological/nuclear signatures emanating from nearby vessels or from targets on the water or shore). Data communication is difficult in a maritime environment because satellite communications may not be steady and multi-hop wireless networks with stations having backhaul infrastructure along coastlines may not be available. The MANET structure described in this study resolves data loss and network latency issues associated with maritime search operations.
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