Prosthetic hand adapted for robotic use in nuclear environments – Professional Engineering

The Covvi bionic hand will be remotely controlled by workers as it operates in hazardous nuclear environments

A bionic hand originally developed as a prosthetic device has been adapted to provide a robotic arm with near-human dexterity.

The new robotic system, which builds on Atkins work on collaborative robots (cobots) for the nuclear sector and prosthetic developer Covvis bionic hand, will be remotely controlled by workers as it operates in hazardous nuclear environments.

The partners, who announced the project yesterday (30 May), said the system will be used in glovebox operations that involve handling nuclear materials and waste, keeping the operator out of harms way.

The device could significantly increase durability and functionality compared to existing solutions, Leeds firm Covvi claimed, while also replicating human dexterity more closely.

The remote control of robotics (teleoperation) will reduce the presence of humans in hazardous areas and enable glovebox operations to continue over longer periods of time, reducing risk and speeding up project delivery, as well as freeing up time for site operators to focus on other high priority, skilled activity, the announcement said.

The two firms worked together for the last six months to integrate the robotic hand with collaborative robots such as Kinovas Gen3 arm, which Atkins uses to work in gloveboxes. Atkins, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group, is also developing a digital twin to rehearse and pre-plan glovebox activity to increase efficiency.

Sam Stephens, head of digital for nuclear at SNC-Lavalin, said: Robotics hold huge potential for the nuclear sector and we expect their use to become increasingly common over the coming decade as the industry seeks to improve safety, increase efficiency and address increasing skills shortages.

Working with Covvi to reconfigure their bionic hand for teleoperation combines our knowledge of nuclear, digital and robotics capabilities with Covvis expertise and world-leading prosthetics. Its an example of how collaboration is crucial to help accelerate innovation and bring forward new solutions that address some of the sectors biggest challenges swiftly and cost effectively.

The new robotic hand has the potential to reduce risk and improve productivity for the nuclear operators that we work with in partnership around the world, and we look forward to seeing it deliver results soon.

Covvi and Atkins will now jointly develop and market a new variant of the Covvi Hand, optimised to meet the demanding requirements of the nuclear sector.

Simon Pollard, group CEO at Covvi, said: We are delighted to have finalised this partnership and share our plans to expand into the robotics market.

The robotics market continues to develop at pace as it becomes more affordable, scalable, and customisable. With over five years developing our own world leading, multi-articulated bionic hand, Covvi was Atkins preferred choice to partner with to introduce this state-of-the-art technology to the nuclear sector. We are excited about the opportunity to develop and implement innovative solutions to create safer, more efficient processes in hazardous environments intrinsic to the nuclear industry.

Want the best engineering stories delivered straight to your inbox? TheProfessional Engineeringnewslettergives you vital updates on the most cutting-edge engineering and exciting new job opportunities. To sign up, clickhere.

Content published by Professional Engineering does not necessarily represent the views of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

Read the rest here:

Prosthetic hand adapted for robotic use in nuclear environments - Professional Engineering