Omnidirectional Robotic Platform for Surveillance of Particle Accelerator Environments with Limited Space Areas

Intelligent robotic systems are becoming essential for inspections and measurements in harsh environments. This article presents the design of an omnidirectional robotic platform for tunnel inspection with spatial limitations. This robot was born from the need to automate the surveillance process of the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) accelerator of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), where there is remaining radiation. The accelerator is located within a tunnel that is divided by small doors of 400 × 200 mm dimensions, through which the robot has to cross. The designed robot brings a robotic arm, and the needed devices to carry out the inspection. Thanks to this design, the robot application may vary by replacing certain devices and tools. In addition, this paper presents the kinematic and dynamic control models for the robotic platform.