Application of Robotics in Hazardous Environment Inspection

Abstract

Inspection of hazardous environments such as nuclear facilities, chemical plants, underground mines, disaster-struck buildings, and offshore infrastructure poses severe risks to human operators. Robotics has emerged as a reliable and increasingly indispensable solution for minimizing human exposure while enhancing inspection accuracy, repeatability, and operational efficiency. This paper presents a comprehensive, journal-ready analysis of the application of robotic systems in hazardous environment inspection. It examines the evolution of inspection robotics, including ground robots, aerial drones, underwater vehicles, and hybrid platforms, with a focus on sensing technologies, autonomy levels, communication architectures, and human–robot interaction. The study integrates findings from recent experimental deployments and simulation-based research to evaluate system performance under adverse conditions such as low visibility, radiation exposure, toxic gases, and unstable terrain. Particular emphasis is placed on shared autonomy frameworks that balance human decision-making with machine intelligence to ensure safety and reliability. Challenges related to perception degradation, power limitations, communication failures, and regulatory certification are critically discussed. The paper concludes by identifying future research directions, including resilient multi-robot systems, AI-driven anomaly detection, and standardized benchmarking protocols, which are essential for transitioning inspection robotics from experimental deployments to routine industrial use.