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8Why Robot: How Glovebox Robotics are Boosting Capacity and Safety at Sellafield, UKcontinued on page 10Glovebox operators are on the frontlines of nuclear. They%u2019re critical to the capacity of our industry. Yet despite progress, the job of a glovebox operator is all too often difficult, repetitive, and hazardous. If we%u2019re serious about attracting the next generation of glovebox operators, we need to bolster the skills that the role offers. Otherwise, the industry will be faced with a skills gap problem, just as demand increases %u2013 potentially impacting the sector%u2019s capacity. Moreover, renewed investment in nuclear power will also bring greater scrutiny. A single incident to an individual employee could threaten the entire industry%u2019s momentum, depending as it does on public funding and trust. Regulations are likely to become more thorough. And as technological innovation accelerates, legacy processes will increasingly come to seem outdated - and, if they impact safety, indefensible. Glovebox robotics can address these problems. These solutions can increase each glovebox operator%u2019s individual capacity, easing the growing skills shortages and enabling the industry to meet its targets. They can reduce risk and enhance safety. And, by adding new and innovative techniques to a traditionally demanding job, they can upskill glovebox operations and make the role more appealing. Since 2017 AtkinsR%u00e9alis has worked with Sellafield, the oldest nuclear site in Britain, to prototype, design, and deliver a robotic glovebox solution for the site%u2019s 450-plus gloveboxes, helping the site to decommission rapidly, efficiently, and safely. However, these benefits depend on how glovebox robots are developed and deployed. They must be designed with specific workflows in mind, designed through user input so that it is sensitive to their needs, and delivered alongside thorough training and monitoring to ensure safe adoption. By: Christian Pilon %u2013 Associate Director, Head of Robotics and Robert Marwood - Robotics and Technology Technical DirectorARGO deployment system