Episode 7 - How Do You Engineer Nuclear Robots?

This week we delve into the heavily watered, remotely operated world of engineering mechatronics to work in nuclear power plants. Calvin Pettinger joins us to talk about designing tools for reactor maintenance. Calvin gives us a glimpse into the difficulties of working in an environment where the air itself is trying to kill you, and the joys of union politics. We learn about CANDU reactors, different types of radiation, and sludge, both soft and hard. We even take some time to debate whether remote manipulators are robots, and take a journey back in time to design better siege machines.