AI-Trained Robotic Mice Deploy to Inspect Large Hadron Collider's 27km Beamline

AI-trained robotic mice to roam the Large Hadron Collider

Bots hunt deformed RF contacts inside the collider's 27 km vacuum tubes The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) and CERN have jointly developed a "mouse-sized robot" to inspect parts of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) that are out of reach to humans. Named "PipeINEER," from "pipe" and "pioneer," the 3.7 cm wide (about 1.5 in) robot sadly looks nothing like a mouse, though it was designed to trundle autonomously through long, narrow pipes, which perhaps made the designers think of a rodent. The pipes in this case run the 27 km (approximately 16.8 miles) circumference of the LHC, which straddles the border between France and Switzerland, near Geneva. These are the pipes that carry the actual particle beams that are surrounded by superconducting magnets at -271°C (-455°F) while also operating under high vacuum conditions. Add in their position deep within the infrastructure, and this makes human access and inspection extremely challenging. Youtube Video The inspections are needed as the LHC contains about 2,000 plug-in modules (PIMs) to handle the expansion and contraction caused by the extremes of temperature and pressure. However, small components within the modules - thin radio frequency "fingers" designed to maintain electrical contact - can become deformed and cause obstructions inside the beamline. PipeINEER can travel for up to six kilometers on battery power while capturing detailed images of each PIM, and uses an AI model trained to detect any abnormalities. If the robot detects an issue, it returns to its starting point and reports the exact location of the problem. This approach allows engineers to address specific points along the 27 km collider, UKAEA says, without having to disassemble sections of pipe and use a manual endoscope to inspect for defects. The robot was developed for CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, by UKAEA's Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE) robotics center. We would love to tell you that the PipeINEER is based on a Raspberry Pi module or something similar, but the UKAEA had not responded to our requests for further information at the time of publication. Instead, RACE director Nick Sykes said in a statement: "We're proud to apply our robotics expertise from fusion energy to support CERN's world leading experiments. By combining our remote handling experience with CERN's scientific excellence, we're helping ensure the Large Hadron Collider operates safely and efficiently for years to come." But it isn't the only robot being tasked with going where humans cannot. The famous Boston Dynamics robot dogs are set to help with the ongoing cleanup and decommissioning of the UK's Sellafield nuclear site. ®

Robot 'mice' developed to inspect Large Hadron Collider

A mouse-sized robot has been developed, in part by UK scientists, to inspect the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) on the Swiss-French border. The UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), which is based in Oxfordshire, partnered with the European Organisation for Nuclear Research - known as Cern - to develop the robot. A first-of-its-kind, the robot - which is 3.7cm (1.5in) wide - travels autonomously through the narrow pipes making up the 27km-long (17 miles) collider. The invention, which has made it much easier to check areas which can be extremely tight and cold, was recently awarded with a prestigious engineering honour celebrating innovation. Nick Sykes, director of the UKAEA's robotics centre, said he was "proud to apply" the organisation's expertise to support Cern's "world leading experiments". "By combining our remote handling experience with CERN's scientific excellence, we're helping ensure the Large Hadron Collider operates safely and efficiently for years to come," he added. The Large Hadron Collider, which opened in 2008, pushes two particle beams to near the speed of light and smashes them together. It's hoped these collisions lead to the discovery of new physics phenomena amongst the debris - such as the Higgs boson, which was unearthed at the site in 2012. More than 1,200 "dipole" magnets are arranged end-to-end to steer the particles around the circular tunnel - which is 100m (328ft) under the French-Swiss border, near Geneva. Those magnets are kept at -271C and surround the narrow beamlines, which themselves are vacuums - making the tunnel extremely difficult for humans to inspect. Cern recently turned to the UKAEA's robotics centre in Culham to develop a robotic solution to the issue - mostly due to the organisation's expertise hazardous and hard-to-reach environments. Together, they developed 'PipeINEER' - which has a name derived from a portmanteau of pipe and pioneer. The 20cm (8in) long robot captures detailed images along the beamline, and then uses artificial intelligence to spot any deformities. Dr Giuseppe Bregliozzi, from Cern, said the robot would "transform how we inspect and maintain the LHC". "It marks a major step forward in keeping our experiments running smoothly," he added. It was recently awarded as Highly Commended for The Engineer's Collaborate to Innovate Award - which Sykes said "highlights the power of international collaboration". You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.