Robots Put to the Test for Legacy Cleanup at Los Alamos

The Integrated Ground-based Autonomous Agent for Radiological Tracking, or iGART, conducts radiological surveys at an area used since the mid-1940s for explosives experiments at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). Originally developed by NuHorizon Technologies, iGART was adapted to meet specifications and requirements for its deployment at a firing site within Technical Area 15. Photo courtesy of LANL.

LOS ALAMOS, N.M. — The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Environmental Management Los Alamos Field Office (EM-LA) is advancing a unique robot for remote radiological surveying in its legacy cleanup mission.

EM-LA and legacy cleanup contractor Newport News Nuclear BWXT-Los Alamos LLC (N3B) are testing a new robotic radiological inspection system known as iGART, the Integrated Ground-based Autonomous Agent for Radiological Tracking.

EM-LA and N3B are partnering with Triad National Security LLC — the management and operating contractor for Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) — to use iGART for surveying in field testing at LANL. Working by remote control, the robot detects radiological contamination using a location system and sophisticated sensors.

“The advantage of iGART is that it can be remotely controlled to conduct site surveys,” said Erik Loechell, manager of Triad’s Interface Management Office and former N3B iGART project manager. “We are testing this innovative technology to evaluate improvements in efficiency, data collection and employee protection.”

Developed by the company NuHorizon Technologies through a U.S. Department of Homeland Security research partnership and later adopted by the DOE Office of Environmental ManagementTechnology Operations Office, iGART is a ground-based robotic platform designed to navigate large, complex structures and outdoor environments. Its purpose is straightforward but transformative: detect, measure and map radiological contamination without placing workers in hazardous conditions.

iGART is being evaluated to support radiological mapping, facility characterization and outdoor contamination surveys — strengthening N3B’s ability to reduce risk while protecting workers and the environment.

Previous iterations of the robot have gone through successful demonstrations at other DOE sites, including Savannah River in Aiken, South Carolina, and the Y-12 National Security Complex in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. The latest iGART version is specially designed to be highly sensitive to depleted uranium and americium.

Georgia Institute of Technology developed the system in an engineering project before it evolved into a fully integrated robotic platform through a five year effort by NuHorizon Technologies. Its deployment at LANL reflects DOE’s commitment to modernize cleanup operations through robotics, automation and advanced sensing technologies.