Tuesday, 18 March 2025
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Canadian engineering firm AtkinsRéalis has been working at Sellafield to deploy a customised Boston Dynamics Spot quadrupedal robotic ‘dog’ on site, working alongside employees to inspect areas, capture data and carry out tasks in hazardous areas for the past two years. This trial successfully established highly secure networks and tested the ability to operate robotics like Spot on site, remotely, from a location outside the site licence boundary.
AtkinsRéalis worked closely with Sellafield Ltd’s remote technology group in the months building up to the trial to put in place the necessary digital and cyber protocols to enable the safe and secure operation.
Working from an immersive room at the Westlakes Science Park in Whitehaven, West Cumbria, specialists operated Spot, live-streaming footage from a non-critical area on the Sellafield site.
The immersive room at Westlakes enables remote operations via secure virtual access (Image: AtkinsRéalis)
This kind of virtual site access is already deployed by AtkinsRéalis for major construction projects to record and view footage across sophisticated and secure networks for teams across locations.
“This successful trial marks a significant milestone in our journey towards integrating advanced robotics into our operations at Sellafield,” said Deon Bulman, ROV Equipment Programme Lead at Sellafield Ltd. “The ability to remotely operate robotic systems like Spot demonstrates how digital innovation can enhance safety, efficiency, and decision-making on nuclear-licensed sites. By collaborating with AtkinsRéalis, we are exploring cutting-edge solutions that not only support our decommissioning mission but also pave the way for future advancements in remote operations.”
Richard Brook, Technology Solutions Lead for Decommissioning at AtkinsRéalis, added: “Sellafield Ltd has pioneered the adoption of technology across its operations, and this latest milestone is another step forward for the role of robotics in decommissioning. Virtual site access is already being used in the delivery of major infrastructure programmes: this trial is a big step towards unlocking its benefits for nuclear-licensed sites without compromising safety or security.”
