RFX-mod2 and the NEFERTARI project. A distributed research network for the study of magnetically confined plasmas for fusion
Status of the upgrades for the RFX-mod2 device, the second major modification of the Reversed Field eXperiment. A thin copper stabilizing shell inside the vacuum vessel ensures long-term stability of resistive wall modes. Plants and diagnostics are being modernized within the NEFERTARI project, funded by the Italian NRRP under Next Generation EU, alongside contributions from the Italian laboratory network, including the ROMAN remote handling facility for in-vessel maintenance.
MadFlex Linear Actuator Patent
Patent N. 102026000010111. Linear actuator utilizing anisotropic materials to achieve selective compliance and continuous controlled extension with high retracted compactness and directional stiffness. This morphing structures can also integrate different functionalities (i.e. inner vacuum channels, external sensing layers).
Design and Prototyping of a Tip-Mounted Hybrid Magnetic Cap for Bio-inspired Soft Growing Robot
Pneumatically-driven Soft Growing Robots take inspiration from vines, evolving along a path from the tip while remaining intrinsically safe towards the environment. Mounting sensors and tools at the tip is difficult because the tip position changes during growth. After reviewing existing tip-attachment designs, the work presents a novel tip-mounted Hybrid Magnetic Cap of textile and rigid components, safe and efficient across all operative phases, and demonstrates it on cable delivery along a straight path. In: Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering IV.
Preliminary Design of a General Control Architecture for the DTT Remote Handling Facility
A preliminary general architecture for control rooms intended for remote handling operations of nuclear fusion reactors, to be implemented in the DTT Remote Handling Facility for operator training and testing of remote handling operations. It is based on a Multi-Server/Multi-Client communication system, with two central servers running the core software modules and exchanging data over five different networks, and foresees a high-fidelity digital twin, virtual reality technologies and force-feedback devices to aid the operator. In: Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering IV.
Preliminary Concept Design of an Innovative Under-Actuated Gripper for the Remote Handling Operations in the RFX-Mod2 Fusion Machine
Narrow access ports and inertial loads constrain end-effectors for remote handling in fusion machines. The work presents a compliant gripper whose kinematics rely on the deformation of its own body, cutting internal mechanisms and tip mass. Conceptualized with the FACT method and verified by structural analysis. In: Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering IV.
G-Bot European Patent
G-Bot officially obtained the European Patent (Patent N. EP4360816). Whether for inspection or exploration, our pneumatically actuated G-Bot is built to go where others can't. It's a growing robot: it extends and retracts through openings conventional manipulators cannot pass.
Preliminary architecture design for human-in-the-loop control of robotic equipment in remote handling tasks: Case study on the NEFERTARI project
A general control architecture for robotic systems dedicated to the remote handling of in-vessel components in fusion machines, to be tested on inspection and maintenance of the first wall components of RFX-mod2 within the NEFERTARI project. The architecture splits into a low-level layer for robot control and safety and a high-level layer for planning, including a Virtual Reality environment for visualising the robot’s digital twin, connected by an API over ROS2. In use, an operator teleoperates the real robot while encoder data feeds a real-time dynamic model that drives the digital twin. Published in Fusion Engineering and Design 206(15-24).
A virtual reality-based dual-mode robot teleoperation architecture
A virtual reality-based dual-mode teleoperation architecture that assists human operators in remotely operating robotic manipulation systems safely and flexibly. Implemented as a finite state machine, it lets the operator switch between an Approach mode, specifying the target configuration through an immersive VR interface, and a Telemanip mode, directly controlling end-effector motion via input devices. A user study with 18 participants showed strong usability, workload and satisfaction results, with no significant differences between users experienced in VR and novices. Published in Robotica 42(6).
Indices for Environmental Sustainability in Pneumatic Soft Robotic Actuators: A Systematic Review
Soft robots still suffer from sustainability issues including limited lifetime, disposal and poor energy efficiency. Using the PRISMA methodology, the review systematically collects the indicators of environmental sustainability available for pneumatically actuated soft robots, reporting absolute and relative metrics under two categorizations: the part of the soft robotic system, and the LCA-oriented product lifecycle phase. The study highlights a gap in indicators for energy consumption in the manufacturing process. In: Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering III.
Brief Overview of Long Reach Manipulators for Remote Maintenance in Fusion Reactors
A review of currently available long reach manipulators serving as robotic equipment for remote maintenance in fusion reactors. These systems access the reactor through small-scaled ports and are designed to remotely install and replace in-vessel mechanical components. The work analyses the design criteria commonly used and the most interesting concepts, identifying a general scheme applicable to most robots of this kind. In: Design Tools and Methods in Industrial Engineering III.
T-Bot Patent
Patent N. 102024000021885. The patented joint technology behind T-Bot, our tendon-driven manipulator for inspection and light maintenance in constrained and hazardous environments.
A Geometric Approach to Inverse Kinematics of Hyper-Redundant Manipulators for tokamaks maintenance
A geometric approach to inverse kinematics of hyper-redundant manipulators used for remote maintenance of nuclear fusion reactors, suited to real-time human-in-the-loop control with high-frequency feedback and safe interaction with the in-vessel environment. Tested on the HyRMan kinematics developed within the Divertor Tokamak Test project, it showed overall higher performance than the Jacobian pseudo-inverse method and comparable ability to avoid obstacles and joint limits. Published in Mechanism and Machine Theory 176(5-6).
Effects of Design Parameters on the Tip Steering Capabilities of Fabric Pneumatic Artificial Muscle-actuated Soft Growing Robots
Tip steering by induced deformation is key to navigating constrained environments with soft growing robots. The work quantifies how material, fabric Pneumatic Artificial Muscle diameter and backbone pressure affect the maximum curvature achieved, giving design guidelines for fabric-based PAM-actuated soft growing robots. In: Advances on Mechanics, Design Engineering and Manufacturing IV.
Soft Growing Robot to Enable Monitoring Applications in Remote Constrained Environments
Soft continuum robots are promising for measurement applications in remote, difficult-to-reach environments. The work proposes a soft robot able to evert and steer from the tip as a sensor delivery system, combining a robotic platform for movement with a sensor attached to its tip. As a case study, a wireless temperature sensor was transported towards a remote hot source. Preliminary results anticipate the suitability of soft continuum platforms for remote applications in confined and constrained environments.
Using a Soft Growing Robot as a Sensor Delivery System in Remote Environments: A Practical Case Study
Soft continuum robots are promising for measurement applications in remote, difficult-to-reach environments. The work proposes a soft robot able to evert and steer from the tip as a sensor delivery system, combining a robotic platform for movement with a sensor attached to its tip. As a case study, a wired thermocouple was transported towards a remote hot source. Preliminary results anticipate the suitability of soft continuum platforms for remote applications in confined and constrained environments.
The DTT device: Preliminary remote maintenance strategy
Overview of the preliminary strategy planned for remote maintenance of neutron-activated and contaminated components of the DTT machine, in the 2019 reference configuration. Number and size of vacuum vessel ports and the segmentation of in-vessel mechanical components were set by a compromise between operational and maintenance needs. The work describes the current strategies for divertor and first wall remote maintenance systems, and a first conceptual design of the remote maintenance equipment. Published in Fusion Engineering and Design 172(9-10).
Modeling and Simulation of Hybrid Soft Robots Using Finite Element Methods: Brief Overview and Benefits
Mathematical modeling of hybrid soft robots is complicated by the complex shapes they undergo under actuation and external loads, and the problem is not yet fully solved. The paper presents an overview of modeling and simulation approaches for soft robots based on finite element methods, with benefits and future directions. In: Advances in Robot Kinematics 2020.
Modeling and vibration control of flexible mechanical systems for DEMO remote maintenance: Results from the FlexARM project
Main results achieved within the FlexARM project, which deals with advanced modeling techniques and predictive control strategies for flexible mechanical systems intended for remote tasks inside advanced nuclear fusion reactors. Published in Fusion Engineering and Design 146(5).