MIRRAX
MIniature Robot for Restricted Access EXploration
MIRRAX is a new generation of reconfigurable mobile robot platforms for deployment at the Sellafield Site. Omnidirectional robot platform, reconfigurable in shape, allowing entry through a 6 inch access port while being large enough to climb stairs. Large payloads such as HD rad-hardened cameras, radiation sensors as well as any other 3rd party equipment.
This Sellafield Ltd sponsored project was deployed at Sellafield’s First Generation Reprocessing Plant, FGRP, in March 2018. Following the deployment, the robot was disposed of according to local site regulations. Since then, a new version of MIRRAX has been designed and built and will contain a radiometric sensor for future deployment scenarios.
Click here to download the MIRRAX technical sheet.
MIRRAX Configurations
The final concept design of the MIRRAX came out of the requirement to carry mid-size sensors (e.g. LIDARs) and having enough battery charge to conduct at least 1 hour of surveying through the restricted access ports. These two factors require the robotic platform to be long and narrow in design, and can reconfigure to fit in a 150mm entry port, and uses custom design omni-directional Mecanum wheels to allow for unique holonomic locomotion. The addition of 2 joints within the length of the robot allow it to be reconfigured in different stable profiles.
This extended video shows the latest version of MIRRAX, showcasing all it functionality including; using Mecanum wheels with a reconfiguration body design.
The video showcases a final render of the inside of an active cell, whereby different 360deg laser scan (LIDAR) point clouds have been combined using Blender software to create a full 3D model of the space. The video then "flies" a single camera viewpoint through the 3D model to produce this video.
This extended video show the 1st successful tests of the MIRRAX - 150 which displays the functionality of using Mecanum wheels with a reconfiguration body design.
This video shows the deployment of the MIRRAX robot at the First Generation Reprocessing Plant (FGRP) on the Sellafield Site in March 2018. Footage can be seen from outside the cell as well as a live video feed from the robot inside the cell. The video goes on to show how each 360-degree laser scan (LiDAR) created a 3D point cloud, which when combined are able to create a full 3D reconstruction of the space.
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