Watch this video to see how the Guardian® S robot helps Duke Energy’s nuclear team inspect hard-to-reach places.
The Guardian S is a recent innovation introduced at each of the company’s six nuclear plants.
Duke Energy’s nuclear plants are running more reliably and efficiently than ever before because employees are innovating, using new technology, like the Guardian S robot, while producing carbon-free energy 24 hours a day.
The robot can squeeze into small spaces like trenches or pipes and climb I-beams and other steel equipment with its magnetic undercarriage. Eighteen pounds and 52 inches long when in snake mode, it is monitored by employees with a hand-held control unit that uses Wi-Fi.
An inspection by the robot helps keeps employees out of harm’s way. The robot recently traversed a drainpipe, which gave employees a look at coatings and metal in the pipe with the onboard odometer without having to enter the pipe. When it inspects air ducts, it reduces the need to build scaffolding.
“Using the robot,” said Kevin Martin of McGuire Nuclear Station, “is a safer, more efficient way to perform inspections at our nuclear stations.”