Traversing through the dark, underground areas of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva, Switzerland isn’t for the faint of heart. The world’s most powerful particle accelerator violently smashes protons and other subatomic particles together at nearly the speed of light, which can emit radiation at levels potentially harmful to humans. If that weren’t enough, long stretches of compact, cluttered areas and uneven surface areas throughout the facility make stable footing a necessity.
Scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) are turning to four-legged, dog-inspired robots to solve that problem. This week, CERN showed off its recently developed CERNquadbot robot which they said successfully completed its first radiation survey in CERN’s North Area, the facility’s largest experimental area. Looking forward, CERN plans to have its “Robodog” trot through other experiment caves to analyze areas and look for hazards.
Robots at the #LHC
A new type of robot called CERNquadbot has successfully completed its first radiation protection test inside CERN’s largest experiment area.
CERNquadbot also known as ‘Robodog’ will be able to enter new dimensions of the caverns, unlike the previous wheeled,… pic.twitter.com/DQoCW2TzBy
— CERN (@CERN) February 6, 2024
Why does CERT need a robot dog?
The hazardous, sometimes cramped confines of the LHC’s experiments caverns pose challenges to both human workers and past robot designs alike. Temporary radiation levels and other environmental hazards like fires and potential water leaks can make some areas temporarily inaccessible to humans. Other past CERT robots, while adept at using strong robotics arms to carry heavy objects over distance, struggle to traverse over uneven ground. Stairs, similarly, are a nonstarter for these mostly wheeled and tracked robots.
That’s where CERT’s robot dog comes in. CERTquadbot’s four, dog-like legs allow it to…
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