Journal of Nuclear Science, Engineering and Technology (JONSAT)
In cooperation with the Iranian Nuclear Society

A study on the use of swarm robotics for environmental monitoring, radiation mapping and the discovery of radioactive sources

Document Type : Scientific Note

Authors

H. Ardiny
A.M. Beigzadeh

Radiation Application Research School, Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, AEOI, P.O.Box: 14395-836, Tehran – Iran

https://doi.org/10.24200/nst.2024.1628
Abstract
Exploring and mapping radioactive environments presents potentially challenging and risky tasks. To ensure safety, the use of robots can help mitigate these risks. However, deploying a single robot may not be enough to effectively cover the entire area. Therefore, the technique of using multiple robots or a robot swarm can play a significant role in reducing time and improving the exploration and mapping process. Additionally, multi-robot systems have high reliability, and if a number of robots fail due to reasons such as radiation exposure, the remaining robots can continue the mission. This article focuses on the use of several autonomous robots simultaneously for radiation mapping and the discovery of radioactive sources. The study has examined various approaches, including the effect of the number and absorbed dose of robots. The results indicate that increasing the number of robots can enhance the speed of exploration, but the rate of increase is lower than the rate of the robot number due to the crowding of robots. To achieve optimal exploration, it is necessary to utilize more advanced models, such as movement patterns inspired by nature. This paper presents valuable insights into the coordination of collective robots for searching in radioactive environments, which could open up opportunities for the application of swarm intelligence in nuclear scenarios.

Highlights

  1. Dorigo M, Theraulaz G, Trianni V. Swarm Robotics: Past, Present, and Future [Point of View]. Proc. IEEE. 2021 Jul;109(7):1152–1165. doi: 10.1109/JPROC.2021.3072740.

 

  1. Yan Z, Jouandeau N, Cherif A.A. A Survey and Analysis of Multi-Robot Coordination. Int. J. Adv. Robot. Syst. 2013 Dec;10(12):399. doi: 10.5772/57313.

 

  1. Burgard W, Moors M, Stachniss C, Schneider F.E. Coordinated multi-robot exploration. IEEE Trans. Robot. 2005 Jun;21(3):376–386. doi: 10.1109/TRO. 2004.839232.

 

  1. Ducros C, Hauser G, Mahjoubi N, Girones P, Boisset L, Sorin A, Jonquet E, Falciola J.M, Benhamou A. RICA: A Tracked Robot for Sampling and Radiological Characterization in the Nuclear Field. J. F. Robot. 2017 May;34(3);583–599. doi: 10.1002/rob.21650.

 

  1. Collins L, Ghassemi P, Esfahani E.T, Doermann D, Dantu K, Chowdhury S. Scalable Coverage Path Planning of Multi-Robot Teams for Monitoring Non-Convex Areas. in 2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), IEEE. 2021 May;7393–7399. doi: 10.1109/ ICRA48506.2021.9561550.

 

  1. Liang W, Ning Z, Xie S, Hu Y, Lu S, Zhang D. Secure fusion approach for the Internet of Things in smart autonomous multi-robot systems. Inf. Sci. (Ny). 2021 Nov;579:468–482. doi: 10.1016/j.ins. 2021.08.035.

 

  1. Parker L.E. Distributed Algorithms for Multi-Robot Observation of Multiple Moving Targets. Auton. Robots. 2002;12(3):231–255. doi: 10.1023/A: 1015256330750.

 

  1. Dorigo M. SWARM-BOT: an experiment in swarm robotics. in Proceedings 2005 IEEE Swarm Intelligence Symposium. 2005. SIS 2005, IEEE. 2005;192–200. doi: 10.1109/SIS.2005.1501622.

 

  1. Rubenstein M, Ahler C, Nagpal R. Kilobot: A low cost scalable robot system for collective behaviors. in 2012 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, IEEE. 2012 May;3293–3298. doi: 10.1109/ICRA.2012.6224638.

 

  1. Fahimi F. Autonomous Robots. Boston, MA: Springer US. 2009. doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-09538-7.

 

  1. Sousa P, Ferreira A, Moreira M, Santos T, Martins A, Dias A, Almeida J, Silva E. ISEP/INESC TEC Aerial Robotics Team for Search and Rescue Operations at the EuRathlon Challenge 2015. in 2016 International Conference on Autonomous Robot Systems and Competitions (ICARSC), IEEE. 2016 May;156–161. doi: 10.1109/ICARSC.2016.49.

 

  1. Tsitsimpelis I, Taylor C.J, Lennox B, Joyce M.J. A review of ground-based robotic systems for the characterization of nuclear environments. Prog. Nucl. Energy, 2019 Mar;111:109–124. doi: 10.1016/j.pnucene.2018.10.023.

 

  1. Mascarich F, Kulkarni M, De Petris P, Wilson T, Alexis K. Autonomous mapping and spectroscopic analysis of distributed radiation fields using aerial robots. Auton. Robots. 2023 Feb;47(2):139–160. doi: 10.1007/s10514-022-10064-7.

 

  1. Zhang D, Luo R, Yin Y, Zou S. Multi-objective path planning for mobile robot in nuclear accident environment based on improved ant colony optimization with modified A∗. Nucl. Eng. Technol. 2023 May;55(5):1838–1854. doi: 10.1016/j.net. 2023.02.005.

 

  1. Ardiny H, Beigzadeh A, Mahani H. MCNPX simulation and experimental validation of an unmanned aerial radiological system (UARS) for rapid qualitative identification of weak hotspots. J. Environ. Radioact. 2023 Mar;258:107105. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.107105.

 

  1. Peng T, Tang D, Wu J. Design of an autonomous navigation system for emergency disposal robots at radioactive waste sites under extreme climatic conditions. J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 2023 Jan;2419(1):012088. doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2419/ 1/012088.

 

  1. Ling M, Huo J, Moiseev G.V, Hu L, Xiao Y. Multi-robot collaborative radioactive source search based on particle fusion and adaptive step size. Ann. Nucl. Energy. 2022 Aug;173:109104. doi: 10.1016/ j.anucene.2022.109104.

 

  1. Renzaglia A, Briñón-Arranz L. Search and Localization of a Weak Source with a Multi-robot Formation. J. Intell. Robot. Syst. 2020 Mar;97(3–4):623–634. doi: 10.1007/s10846-019-01014-0.

 

  1. Abd Rahman N.A, Sahari K.S.M, Hamid N.A, Hou Y.C. A coverage path planning approach for autonomous radiation mapping with a mobile robot. Int. J. Adv. Robot. Syst. 2022 Jul;19(4): 1-17. doi: 10.1177/ 17298806221116483.

 

  1. Zhang W, Shi C, Bai L, Zhang Z.H. Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Searching Robot for Radioactive Sources Based on Edge Computing. Int. J. Pattern Recognit. Artif. Intell. 2023 May;37(06). doi: 10.1142/S0218001423510059.

 

  1. Ardiny H, Beigzadeh A, Askari M. Detecting and tracking multiple mobile radioactive sources by data fusion of a surveillance camera and a sodium iodide (NaI) detector. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 2022 Dec;93(12). doi: 10.1063/5.0122498.

 

  1. Wright T, West A, Licata M, Hawes N, Lennox B. Simulating Ionising Radiation in Gazebo for Robotic Nuclear Inspection Challenges. Robotics. 2021 Jul;10(3):86. doi: 10.3390/robotics10030086.

 

  1. Gabrlik P, Lazna T, Jilek T, Sladek P, Zalud L. An automated heterogeneous robotic system for radiation surveys: Design and field testing. J. F. Robot. 2021 Aug;38(5):657–683. doi: 10.1002/rob. 22010.

 

  1. Abd Rahman N.A, Mohamed Sahari K.S, Abdul Jalal M.F, Rahman A.A, Abd Adziz M.I, Hassan M.Z. Mobile robot for radiation mapping in indoor environment. IOP Conf. Ser. Mater. Sci. Eng. 2020 Apr;785(1):012021. doi: 10.1088/1757-899X/785/1/ 012021.

 

  1. Kim D, Kim Y.-S, Noh K, Jang M, Kim S. Wall-Climbing Robot with Active Sealing for Radiation Safety of Nuclear Power Plants. Nucl. Sci. Eng. 2020 Dec;194(12):1162–1174. doi: 10.1080/00295639. 2020.1777023.

 

  1. Tsitsimpelis I, West A, Licata M, Aspinall M.D, Jazbec A, Snoj L, Martin P.A, Lennox B. Joyce M.J. Simultaneous, Robot-Compatible γ-Ray Spectroscopy and Imaging of an Operating Nuclear Reactor. IEEE Sens. J. 2021 Feb;21(4):5434–5443. doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2020.3035147.

 

  1. Xiao Y, Zhang C, Luo J, Yang C, Liu C. Integrating the radiation source position into a grid map of the environment using a mobile robot. Nucl. Instruments Methods Phys. Res. Sect. A Accel. Spectrometers, Detect. Assoc. Equip. 2020 Oct;976:164253. doi: 10.1016/j.nima.2020.164253.

 

  1. Pinciroli C, Trianni V, O'Grady R, Pini G, Brutschy A, Brambilla M, Mathews N, Ferrante E, Di Caro G, Ducatelle F, Birattari M, Gambardella L.M, Dorigo M. ARGoS: a modular, parallel, multi-engine simulator for multi-robot systems. Swarm Intell. 2012 Dec;6(4):271–295. doi: 10.1007/s11721-012-0072-5.

 

  1. Ardiny H. Functional and adaptive construction for rescue. EPFL. 2016. doi: https://doi.org/10.5075/ epfl-thesis-7683.

 

  1. Waters L.S, McKinney G.W, Durkee J.W, Fensin M.L, Hendricks J.S, James M.R, Johns R.C, Pelowitz D.B. The MCNPX Monte Carlo Radiation Transport Code. in AIP Conference Proceedings, AIP. 2007;81–90. doi: 10.1063/1.2720459.

Keywords

Swarm robotics
Multi-robot
Exploration
Radiation mapping
Radioactive sources
  1. Dorigo M, Theraulaz G, Trianni V. Swarm Robotics: Past, Present, and Future [Point of View]. Proc. IEEE. 2021 Jul;109(7):1152–1165. doi: 10.1109/JPROC.2021.3072740.

 

  1. Yan Z, Jouandeau N, Cherif A.A. A Survey and Analysis of Multi-Robot Coordination. Int. J. Adv. Robot. Syst. 2013 Dec;10(12):399. doi: 10.5772/57313.

 

  1. Burgard W, Moors M, Stachniss C, Schneider F.E. Coordinated multi-robot exploration. IEEE Trans. Robot. 2005 Jun;21(3):376–386. doi: 10.1109/TRO. 2004.839232.

 

  1. Ducros C, Hauser G, Mahjoubi N, Girones P, Boisset L, Sorin A, Jonquet E, Falciola J.M, Benhamou A. RICA: A Tracked Robot for Sampling and Radiological Characterization in the Nuclear Field. J. F. Robot. 2017 May;34(3);583–599. doi: 10.1002/rob.21650.

 

  1. Collins L, Ghassemi P, Esfahani E.T, Doermann D, Dantu K, Chowdhury S. Scalable Coverage Path Planning of Multi-Robot Teams for Monitoring Non-Convex Areas. in 2021 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA), IEEE. 2021 May;7393–7399. doi: 10.1109/ ICRA48506.2021.9561550.

 

  1. Liang W, Ning Z, Xie S, Hu Y, Lu S, Zhang D. Secure fusion approach for the Internet of Things in smart autonomous multi-robot systems. Inf. Sci. (Ny). 2021 Nov;579:468–482. doi: 10.1016/j.ins. 2021.08.035.

 

  1. Parker L.E. Distributed Algorithms for Multi-Robot Observation of Multiple Moving Targets. Auton. Robots. 2002;12(3):231–255. doi: 10.1023/A: 1015256330750.

 

  1. Dorigo M. SWARM-BOT: an experiment in swarm robotics. in Proceedings 2005 IEEE Swarm Intelligence Symposium. 2005. SIS 2005, IEEE. 2005;192–200. doi: 10.1109/SIS.2005.1501622.

 

  1. Rubenstein M, Ahler C, Nagpal R. Kilobot: A low cost scalable robot system for collective behaviors. in 2012 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, IEEE. 2012 May;3293–3298. doi: 10.1109/ICRA.2012.6224638.

 

  1. Fahimi F. Autonomous Robots. Boston, MA: Springer US. 2009. doi: 10.1007/978-0-387-09538-7.

 

  1. Sousa P, Ferreira A, Moreira M, Santos T, Martins A, Dias A, Almeida J, Silva E. ISEP/INESC TEC Aerial Robotics Team for Search and Rescue Operations at the EuRathlon Challenge 2015. in 2016 International Conference on Autonomous Robot Systems and Competitions (ICARSC), IEEE. 2016 May;156–161. doi: 10.1109/ICARSC.2016.49.

 

  1. Tsitsimpelis I, Taylor C.J, Lennox B, Joyce M.J. A review of ground-based robotic systems for the characterization of nuclear environments. Prog. Nucl. Energy, 2019 Mar;111:109–124. doi: 10.1016/j.pnucene.2018.10.023.

 

  1. Mascarich F, Kulkarni M, De Petris P, Wilson T, Alexis K. Autonomous mapping and spectroscopic analysis of distributed radiation fields using aerial robots. Auton. Robots. 2023 Feb;47(2):139–160. doi: 10.1007/s10514-022-10064-7.

 

  1. Zhang D, Luo R, Yin Y, Zou S. Multi-objective path planning for mobile robot in nuclear accident environment based on improved ant colony optimization with modified A∗. Nucl. Eng. Technol. 2023 May;55(5):1838–1854. doi: 10.1016/j.net. 2023.02.005.

 

  1. Ardiny H, Beigzadeh A, Mahani H. MCNPX simulation and experimental validation of an unmanned aerial radiological system (UARS) for rapid qualitative identification of weak hotspots. J. Environ. Radioact. 2023 Mar;258:107105. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvrad.2022.107105.

 

  1. Peng T, Tang D, Wu J. Design of an autonomous navigation system for emergency disposal robots at radioactive waste sites under extreme climatic conditions. J. Phys. Conf. Ser. 2023 Jan;2419(1):012088. doi: 10.1088/1742-6596/2419/ 1/012088.

 

  1. Ling M, Huo J, Moiseev G.V, Hu L, Xiao Y. Multi-robot collaborative radioactive source search based on particle fusion and adaptive step size. Ann. Nucl. Energy. 2022 Aug;173:109104. doi: 10.1016/ j.anucene.2022.109104.

 

  1. Renzaglia A, Briñón-Arranz L. Search and Localization of a Weak Source with a Multi-robot Formation. J. Intell. Robot. Syst. 2020 Mar;97(3–4):623–634. doi: 10.1007/s10846-019-01014-0.

 

  1. Abd Rahman N.A, Sahari K.S.M, Hamid N.A, Hou Y.C. A coverage path planning approach for autonomous radiation mapping with a mobile robot. Int. J. Adv. Robot. Syst. 2022 Jul;19(4): 1-17. doi: 10.1177/ 17298806221116483.

 

  1. Zhang W, Shi C, Bai L, Zhang Z.H. Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Searching Robot for Radioactive Sources Based on Edge Computing. Int. J. Pattern Recognit. Artif. Intell. 2023 May;37(06). doi: 10.1142/S0218001423510059.

 

  1. Ardiny H, Beigzadeh A, Askari M. Detecting and tracking multiple mobile radioactive sources by data fusion of a surveillance camera and a sodium iodide (NaI) detector. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 2022 Dec;93(12). doi: 10.1063/5.0122498.

 

  1. Wright T, West A, Licata M, Hawes N, Lennox B. Simulating Ionising Radiation in Gazebo for Robotic Nuclear Inspection Challenges. Robotics. 2021 Jul;10(3):86. doi: 10.3390/robotics10030086.

 

  1. Gabrlik P, Lazna T, Jilek T, Sladek P, Zalud L. An automated heterogeneous robotic system for radiation surveys: Design and field testing. J. F. Robot. 2021 Aug;38(5):657–683. doi: 10.1002/rob. 22010.

 

  1. Abd Rahman N.A, Mohamed Sahari K.S, Abdul Jalal M.F, Rahman A.A, Abd Adziz M.I, Hassan M.Z. Mobile robot for radiation mapping in indoor environment. IOP Conf. Ser. Mater. Sci. Eng. 2020 Apr;785(1):012021. doi: 10.1088/1757-899X/785/1/ 012021.

 

  1. Kim D, Kim Y.-S, Noh K, Jang M, Kim S. Wall-Climbing Robot with Active Sealing for Radiation Safety of Nuclear Power Plants. Nucl. Sci. Eng. 2020 Dec;194(12):1162–1174. doi: 10.1080/00295639. 2020.1777023.

 

  1. Tsitsimpelis I, West A, Licata M, Aspinall M.D, Jazbec A, Snoj L, Martin P.A, Lennox B. Joyce M.J. Simultaneous, Robot-Compatible γ-Ray Spectroscopy and Imaging of an Operating Nuclear Reactor. IEEE Sens. J. 2021 Feb;21(4):5434–5443. doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2020.3035147.

 

  1. Xiao Y, Zhang C, Luo J, Yang C, Liu C. Integrating the radiation source position into a grid map of the environment using a mobile robot. Nucl. Instruments Methods Phys. Res. Sect. A Accel. Spectrometers, Detect. Assoc. Equip. 2020 Oct;976:164253. doi: 10.1016/j.nima.2020.164253.

 

  1. Pinciroli C, Trianni V, O'Grady R, Pini G, Brutschy A, Brambilla M, Mathews N, Ferrante E, Di Caro G, Ducatelle F, Birattari M, Gambardella L.M, Dorigo M. ARGoS: a modular, parallel, multi-engine simulator for multi-robot systems. Swarm Intell. 2012 Dec;6(4):271–295. doi: 10.1007/s11721-012-0072-5.

 

  1. Ardiny H. Functional and adaptive construction for rescue. EPFL. 2016. doi: https://doi.org/10.5075/ epfl-thesis-7683.

 

  1. Waters L.S, McKinney G.W, Durkee J.W, Fensin M.L, Hendricks J.S, James M.R, Johns R.C, Pelowitz D.B. The MCNPX Monte Carlo Radiation Transport Code. in AIP Conference Proceedings, AIP. 2007;81–90. doi: 10.1063/1.2720459.

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