HIL Visualization and Implementation of an Industrial Gantry and COBOT for Nuclear Waste Management

This thesis presents the design, implementation, and testing of a human-in-the-loop (HIL) robotic system aimed at nuclear waste management, addressing the pressing need for safe, efficient handling of hazardous materials. The system combines an industrial gantry with collaborative robots (cobots), servos, cameras, and a digital twin environment programmed via Codesys. By leveraging a mixed-reality digital twin, operators can control and monitor the robotic system in real-time from a safe distance, minimizing human exposure to radiation while ensuring precise control. Key components of the system include a 3-axis gantry coupled with 7-DOF cobots for versatile waste manipulation, supported by EtherCAT and CANopen communication protocols to facilitate high-speed data exchange. A camera system integrated with ROS provides continuous visual feedback, enhancing operator perception and control. A significant focus of this work is the development of a virtual testing environment using Unreal Engine 5, which enables pre-deployment validation of all system components and operations through simulation, reducing the need for costly physical tests. Experiments conducted in the virtual environment verified the system’s functionality and safety, with the results aligning closely with predictions from the embedded control application in Simulink. Physical testing of the gantry and cobots further validated system performance, demonstrating the feasibility of the proposed approach for nuclear waste handling. This research underscores the potential of HIL testing and digital twins to improve the reliability, safety, and efficiency of robotic systems in hazardous environments, providing a scalable framework for future nuclear waste management solutions.