Automated robotic radiation surveys

The characteristics of hazardous environments and the impact these have on robot manipulator system control are reviewed. In particular, computer-based reasoning must be integrated into the control of robot manipulators to allow successful application to such environments. Computing architectures and the concomitant software structures necessary to support both the high-level reasoning and low-level servo control requirements are discussed in the context of a prototype robot system to perform radiation surveys. The issue of manual control in a robot manipulator system is addressed.<>