Model-based remote handling with the MAESTRO hydraulic manipulator

A powerful hydraulic manipulator may be a useful tool to deal efficiently with the remote handling, dexterous operations required during the Divertor maintenance. Its main advantages are a good weight capacity, the large range of tasks that can be addressed and its capability to recover from unforeseen situations. On the other hand, it implies intensive video monitoring and the use of hydraulics technology that is not currently suited to nuclear environments. This paper describes the developments and experiments performed in conjunction with CEA/LIST, IHA and ENEA in the frame of task T329-5 to enhance the benefits of computer-assisted hydraulic remote operation, while minimising its shortcomings.