Force reflecting remote robotic mopping system

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the development of the force reflecting remote robotic mopping system for use in a radioactive zone of a hot-cell. This remote robotic mopping system was designed and developed to clean up the contaminated floor surface of the in-cell by mopping it with a wet cloth in a remote manner. It mainly has three subsystems - a mopping slave to be located inside the hot-cell, a mopping master and a control console to be located outside the hot-cell. A human operator located outside the hot-cell can feel and control the mopping force via the mopping master which, during the operation, the mopping cloth of the mopping slave is pressed against the floor surface to be cleaned, thereby allowing the operator to have a sense of a real mopping. We also present the mechanical design considerations, bilateral controls of the developed force reflecting remote robotic mopping system. Finally, we describe its mopping test results conducted on the simulated contaminated floor.