Surveyor: A remotely operated mobile surveillance system

A successful twelve-month program was conducted to evaluate and modify a commercial-ready, wireless, remotely operated surveillance system for use in nuclear power plants. The IRIS^R- Surveyor^TMMobile Surveillance System (Surveyor) was evaluated and improved at EPRI´s NDE Center and tested in Duke Power Company´s Catawba Nuclear Station. The remotely operated vehicle measures radiation, temperature and relative humidity and provides optical inspection capability. The vehicle is readily maneuvered in 36-inch wide passageways and labyrinth entries and can climb stairs, negotiating 180-degree turns on stair landings. The system consists of a Supervisory Control Station and a rugged, remotely-operated, battery-powered vehicle. The system is entering its next stage of evolution where computer-based obstacle avoidance and autonomous navigation algorithums will be implemented to provide a high degree of operator task relief.