The VirtualwindoW for nuclear applications

Throughout the Department of Energy (DOE) complex there are numerous facilities which were constructed to research and develop nuclear materials during the cold war era. As a result, there are now many facilities such as reactors which require dismantlement and clean up. Technological advances over the past 10 years have significantly increased the state of computers, electronics and automated machinery. Because of this rapid growth, the technology of robotics has played a key role in clean up and remote operations. While robotic systems which perform hazardous tasks are being advanced, the human interface has not. Only within the past few years has the human/machine interface been addressed. A growing concern with the rapid advances in technology is that the robotic systems will become so complex that operators will be overwhelmed by the complexity and number of controls. Thus there is an on going effort within the remote and teleoperated robotic field to develop better man-machine interfaces. The Department of Energy`s Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL) has been researching methods to simplify this interface including telepresence techniques which are applicable to nuclear environments. Initial telepresence research conducted at the INEL developed a concept called the VirtualwindoW. This system minimizes the complexity of remote stereo viewing controls and provides the operator the `feel` of viewing the environment in a natural setting. The VirtualwindoW has shown that the man-machine interface can be simplified while increasing operator performance. This paper deals with the continuing research and development of the VirtualwindoW system to provide a standard camera interface. An application of the VirtualwindoW in the dismantlement of the Chicago Pile-Five (CP-5) reactor at Argonne National Laboratory-East is discussed