![High-load dual-arm robot 'Armstrong' developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. [Photo=Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute]](https://imgnews.pstatic.net/image/009/2025/01/21/0005432272_001_20250121105207086.jpg?type=w860)
High-load dual-arm robot ‘Armstrong’ developed by the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute. [Photo=Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute]
On the 21st, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute announced that the team led by Chief Researcher Jongwon Park transferred the technology of the high-load dual-arm robot ‘Armstrong’ they developed to the robotics company ‘Bigtech’. Bigtech plans to develop robots for sale in the decommissioning market based on this technology.
Armstrong is a nuclear disaster response robot capable of freely moving objects weighing up to 200kg with its dual arms. It is also equipped with endless tracks which allow for easy mobility in rough terrains, making it particularly useful at nuclear decommissioning sites where heavy objects need to be moved in complex environments.
The robot can be equipped with various tools used in nuclear decommissioning sites and is capable of performing complex motions at the level of a human, allowing for flexible responses. It is expected to show significant strengths in environments with frequent high-risk operations and labor shortages, such as in nuclear decommissioning fields.
Bigtech plans to develop a decontamination robot platform by combining its hybrid decontamination technology for radioactive waste with Armstrong’s robot technology. Bigtech, a company that possesses remote robot control technology to assist radiation workers in nuclear decommissioning sites and radiation environments, plans to deploy the robot in nuclear decommissioning sites for decontamination, cutting, and transport of hazardous materials.
The technology transfer agreement was concluded with a fixed technology fee of 180 million KRW and a running royalty of 3% of sales.
Joo Han-kyu, the president of the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, stated, “This technology transfer is an important case of applying advanced robot technology in the nuclear decommissioning field,” and added, “We will continue to strive to spread nuclear robotics technology to other industrial fields.”
According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), out of the 209 nuclear power plants permanently shut down worldwide, only 21 have been decommissioned. The IAEA estimates that a total of 588 nuclear power plants will be permanently shut down by 2050. The nuclear decommissioning-related market is estimated to exceed 400 trillion KRW.