COTS vision system, radiation sensor and 6 DoF robot for use in identifying radiologically uncharacterised objects

A novel, semi-autonomous radiological scanning system for inspecting uncharacterised objects is presented. The research utilises commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) electronic components, intended for use in relatively low radioactive dose environments. To illustrate the concept, a Microsoft Kinect, a Universal Robots UR3 (6 degree of freedom) manipulator and a Kromek RadAngel gamma radiation spectrometer are utilised. The new control software allows the remote operator to select the required object, before the robot arm autonomously scans it, enabling the generation of various radiological spectra shapes. These data inform the operator of any likely radioisotopes present and where they are located in the object.