RACE

Remote Applications in Challenging Environments (RACE) is a remote handling and robotics test facility located at Culham Science Centre near Oxford, UK, operated by UKAEA. As part of the UK Government's Robotics and Autonomous Systems Strategy (RAS) this is one of the initiatives that is supporting development and growth in remote handling. RACE uses the broad range of expertise from UKAEA and CCFE's past experience in remote handling used on JET (Joint European Torus). RACE defines a ‘challenging environment’ as one in which conditions make it impossible or unacceptable for people to conduct useful work. The physical challenges to overcome might include high radiation, extreme temperatures, limited access, operation in vacuum and magnetic fields. Combinations of such conditions are routinely found in sectors including nuclear, space, petrochemical, construction and mining. RACE is partnering with industry and academia to use other skills in robotics and remote handling to develop solutions that work reliably, safely and cost effectively in the most extreme environments imaginable. RACE's long-term goal is to design and operate plant and machinery for long periods with zero manual intervention. History Created in 2014, RACE is the new branded name for the UKAEA remote handling unit. This unit has been around since the 1990s supporting the Joint European Torus nuclear fusion experiment. Now RACE uses all the gained knowledge in Remote Handling (also known as Telerobotics), from more than 30,000 hours of unique and diverse operations in the vessel of JET. Remote operations in-vessel at JET have included, cutting, welding, bolting and handling of approximately 7000 components in the change of all the tiles in JET to the ITER-like wall. Directors 2014–present: Dr Rob Buckingham