Communications options for teleoperations

TELEMAN is a programme of research work on remote handling in hazardous or disordered nuclear environments, carried out for the European Atomic Agency Community by a number of participants, part funded by the CEC. The objective is to develop advanced tele-operated robots for users in the nuclear industry to contribute to safety and profitability. A study performed by AEA Technology in 1989 for the TELEMAN programme examined communications standards and made recommendations where possible. It was recognised that a control architecture needed to be defined before determining which communications standards are appropriate. Several developing areas were recommended for further study and the results of this study are reported here. (author)