Argonaut - A Robotic System for Cryogenic Environments

Abstract

Fermilab and the HEP community invest significant resources into liquid argon detectors. The largest and most expensive of these detectors will be located in the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). However, recent experiences have shown that there are limited avenues of monitoring, intervention, and interaction in the internal liquid environment. This proposal shows a technological path that could provide a valuable tool to ensure or at least improve the management of these HEP detectors. The development of a robotic system named Argonaut will demonstrate several technologies including 1) demonstration of suitable mobility of a small robotic device at liquid argon temperatures, 2) demonstration of wireless communication, 3) demonstration of improved diagnostics capabilities - such as tunable optics with motion control, 4) demonstration of interconnectivity of a robotic system with hardware residing within the detector. This initial research will be a seed for extended development in cold robotics and associated technologies. This work will allow FNAL to contribute a significant technology capability to recent efforts to cryogenic detector operations.