Course in Robotics for Nuclear Decommissioning
Online course of 300 hours in robotics for nuclear decommissioning. 6 modules covering nuclear decommissioning, robotic platforms, perception and characterisation, control and teleoperation, safety, waste and verification, and a robotic deployment project, with an assigned technical tutor.
Course in Robotics for Nuclear Decommissioning — studying from the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has a long history in nuclear engineering and maintains a substantial sector spanning reactor operation, decommissioning, fuel cycle and new build projects. Sites at Sellafield, Hinkley Point, Dounreay and Harwell host work on fuel cycle, waste management and advanced reactor technology. Organisations such as the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, EDF, Rolls-Royce SMR and Urenco UK employ engineers in design, safety and operations. Nuclear activities are overseen by the Office for Nuclear Regulation, which sets strict safety and security requirements.
Fees for the United Kingdom: £619 (Pound sterling), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in the United Kingdom
Typical roles
Questions from the United Kingdom
Which UK regulators and bodies govern nuclear engineering, and how do they treat private training?
The Office for Nuclear Regulation regulates nuclear safety in the UK, and the Nuclear Institute is the main professional body. Competence requirements for licensed sites are set by the operator and regulator. SEIUM's qualifications are private, not state degrees, and not accredited by any national body, so they carry no regulatory standing and recognition is at the discretion of employers and the Nuclear Institute.
Do UK nuclear operators and fuel cycle employers hire people with private online qualifications?
UK nuclear employers typically require security clearance, specific competence assessments and qualifications recognised within the industry. A private online qualification may add to your profile but is unlikely to replace formal requirements. Employers decide its value, so check the entry criteria for roles you want before investing in the programme.
How intensive is the programme, and can I fund it through employer sponsorship in the UK?
Specialist courses take 300 hours, postgraduate diplomas 800 hours and master's programmes 1,900 hours, all online in English with an assigned technical tutor. Fees can be paid in instalments. Employer sponsorship is possible, and many UK nuclear employers run their own training schemes, so ask whether your employer would fund this specifically.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Describe the phases and technical challenges of nuclear decommissioning.
Select robotic platforms suited to each decommissioning task.
Apply perception and radiological characterisation techniques with robots.
Design control and teleoperation schemes with haptic feedback.
Assess the radiation tolerance of electronic components and sensors.
Integrate safety, waste management and verification requirements into the robotic system.
Develop a capstone project for a robotic decommissioning system.
Who it's for
- Nuclear robotics engineers.
- Teleoperation engineers.
- Decommissioning specialists.
- Machine vision engineers.
- Radiological characterisation technicians.
- Remote handling systems engineers.
- Engineering or science graduates aiming to enter nuclear decommissioning.
What you'll work with
- ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2 (industrial robot safety)
- IAEA GSR Part 6 (decommissioning of facilities)
- IEC 61508 (functional safety)
- ISO/TS 15066 (collaborative robots)
- IEC 60204-1 (electrical equipment of machines)
- ISO 13849-1 (safety-related parts of control systems)
- ROS 2
- Gazebo
- RoboDK
- MATLAB/Simulink
- CloudCompare
6 modules · 300 h
1.1Phases: shutdown, preparation, dismantling and closure1.2Immediate and deferred dismantling strategies1.3Radiological characterisation of the facility1.4Hostile environments: dose, contamination and confinement1.5The ALARA principle as justification for robotics1.6Cases: Fukushima Daiichi, Sellafield and José Cabrera1.7Requirements of IAEA GSR Part 61.8Role of ENRESA and the CSN in Spain1.9Regulations on the transport of radioactive waste1.10Case study: dose avoided through remote handling
2.1Master–slave telemanipulators2.2Heavy-payload hydraulic arms2.3Tracked ground vehicles2.4Snake robots and long-reach arms2.5Drones for radiological mapping2.6Underwater vehicles for fuel pools2.7Radiation hardening of electronics2.8Cutting, gripping and decontamination tools2.9Dual-arm manipulators2.10Workshop: platform selection for a hot cell
3.1Gamma detectors and gamma cameras3.2Fusion of radiological maps with LiDAR3.3SLAM in degraded environments3.4Machine vision under adverse lighting and radiation3.5Contact and force sensors3.6Material identification and activity estimation3.7Digital twin of the facility3.8Uncertainty in radiological measurement3.9Non-destructive testing in active environments3.10Lab: 3D dose map with ROS
4.1Bilateral teleoperation and haptic feedback4.2Latency and stability of remote control4.3Shared and supervised autonomy4.4Constrained trajectory planning4.5Virtual and augmented reality for operators4.6Workload and human factors4.7Force control in cutting and dismantling4.8Recovery from robot failures4.9AI-assisted task planning4.10Practical exercise: teleoperated cutting in a simulator
5.1Secondary waste generated by cutting5.2Decontamination of the robot itself5.3Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)5.4Software verification and validation5.5Functional safety according to IEC 615085.6Recovery of broken-down robots5.7Project costs and planning5.8Lessons learnt at Fukushima Daiichi5.9Operator training and certification5.10Case study: FMEA of a hydraulic manipulator
6.1Description of the decommissioning scenario6.2Baseline radiological characterisation6.3Selection of platform and tools6.4Design of the perception system6.5Control and teleoperation strategy6.6Safety and waste management plan6.7Estimate of dose, timeline and costs6.8Simulation of the work sequence6.9Report and presentation6.10Final project: final review with the tutor
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within the intake, so you can combine it with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is ROS 2, Gazebo, RoboDK, MATLAB/Simulink and CloudCompare (point clouds), in free, academic or evaluation versions. Practice is based on real procedures: teleoperation simulation in a virtual environment, radiological characterisation with on-board sensors, and cutting and remote handling mock-ups. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final project.
Standards covered: ISO 10218-1 and ISO 10218-2, IAEA GSR Part 6, IEC 61508, ISO/TS 15066, IEC 60204-1, ISO 13849-1.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- No prior qualification is required.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 300 hours over 3 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with ROS 2, Gazebo, RoboDK, MATLAB/Simulink and CloudCompare, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute certificate, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the final project. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed are recognised in a higher programme in the same area (postgraduate diploma or master's). Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
No prior qualification is required; you need a computer able to run the programme software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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