Optimization problems in the development of a blimp to monitor radiation levels in the CERN FCC environment

To prevent unecessary human exposure to the extremely high levels of radiation present in the environment of the Future Circular Collider at CERN, robotic systems are a primary focus of research and development. Monitoring radiation levels, as well as other metrics, is a task well suited for flying robots which can access all unobstructed parts of a detector cavern. The blimp is the flying robot of choice for this task because of its relatively low likelihood of causing damage in the case of catastrophic failure of a motor. One challenge with developing a blimp for this purpose is the high magnetic field levels present in a detector cavern which interfere with the normal functioning of electromagnetic motors. Therefore, the design of a blimp requires not only a system to locate the blimp in space but also the capability to resist magnetic forces in any direction (and along any axis in the case of torques caused by magnetic forces). This work consisted of the determination of an optimal placement of cameras in a motion capture system used to locate the blimp in space as well as the determination of an optimal configuration of actuators on a blimp to allow it to counteract a desired set of disturbances.