Feasibility of optical sensing for nuclear robotics in highly radioactive environments

The application of robotics to the repair, refurbishing, or dismantling of nuclear installations implies severe radiation resistance requirements on embarked components and subsystems, in particular on optical components. The authors report a series of experimental tests on selected optical fibers and optoelectronic components in a representative radiation environment. Results show the induced degradation to be quite acceptable and even to be reduced by proper operational procedures. Specific applications in optical sensing and communication are shown to be feasible even under severe radiation conditions