The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) has announced that a purpose-built facility for developing robotic technology for use in extreme conditions will open at the Culham Science Centre in 2016.
Staff at the £15.6 million Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE) centre, half of which will be paid for by the UK government, will design, implement and operate remote handling systems. Applications for the technology include nuclear, oil and gas, sub-sea, space and construction.
"RACE will offer its customers the technical support to use the world's best robotics to solve problems in their challenging environments," said director Bob Buckingham, "and there is no better place for it than Culham, with its tremendous expertise in remote handling."
The RACE centre has already won a contract with Assystem to supply equipment for the Iter fusion reactor in Cadarache, France.
