Abstract
Low-cost uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) are replacing manned aircraft for airborne radiation mapping applications such as nuclear accident response scenarios or surveying ore deposits and mine sites because of their cost effectiveness and ability to conduct surveys at lower altitude compared to manned counterparts. Both multi-rotor UAVs and fixed-wing UAVs are well established technologies for aerial radiation mapping applications, however, both also have drawbacks: multi-rotor UAVs are very limited in flight time and range, and fixed-wing UAVs usually require facilities for take-off and landing. A compromise solution is introduced in this work, using a fixed-wing vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAV that combines the flexibility of a multi-rotor UAV with the range and flight time of a fixed-wing UAV. The first implementation of a VTOL with radiation mapping capabilities is presented, based on a commercial WingtraOne UAV augmented with CsI scintillator and CZT semiconductor gamma spectrometers. The radiation mapping capabilities of the prototype are demonstrated in a case study, mapping the distribution of radionuclides around the South Terras legacy uranium mine in the south of England, UK, and the results are compared with previous studies using multi rotor and manned aircraft to survey the same area.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 1137763 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Robotics and AI |
| Volume | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 28 Jun 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors acknowledge the UKRI-funded National Nuclear User Facility for Hot Robotics (NNUF-HR) for the provision of the WingtraOne and Imitec AARM radiation mapping system (EPSRC Grant EP/T011491/1). EW acknowledges funding from the National Nuclear Laboratory’s (NNL) R&D Decontamination Science Core Science Theme and the EPSRC-funded Nuclear Energy Futures Centre for Doctoral Training. DTC also acknowledges funding from NNL R&D Decontamination Science Core Science Theme, in addition to the NNL Post-doctorate Programme. TBS acknowledges funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering through the fellowship scheme.
Funding Information:
The authors acknowledge the UKRI-funded National Nuclear User Facility for Hot Robotics (NNUF-HR) for the provision of the WingtraOne and Imitec AARM radiation mapping system (EPSRC Grant EP/T011491/1). EW acknowledges funding from the National Nuclear Laboratory’s (NNL) R&D Decontamination Science Core Science Theme and the EPSRC-funded Nuclear Energy Futures Centre for Doctoral Training. DTC also acknowledges funding from NNL R&D Decontamination Science Core Science Theme, in addition to the NNL Post-doctorate Programme. TBS acknowledges funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering through the fellowship scheme.
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2023 Woodbridge, Connor, Verbelen, Hine, Richardson and Scott.
Keywords
- Vertical Take-off and Landing (VTOL)
- Gamma Radiation
- Radioactivity
- Naturally Occurring Radioactive Material (NORM)
- Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV)
- Radiation Mapping
Access to Document
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This is the final published version of the article (version of record). It first appeared online via Frontiers at https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2023.1137763 . Please refer to any applicable terms of use of the publisher.