Robotic Soil Sampler for Hazardous Waste Clean Up

An innovative field sampling system using LA-ICP-AES (laser ablation-inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry) technology is currently being developed through an integrated team approach at Ames Laboratory to provide in-situ, real time analysis of inorganic hazardous waste. This sampling approach is conducted through a mobile testing facility which consists of an instrumentation vehicle called the Mobile Demonstration Laboratory for Environmental Screening Technologies (MDLEST),and an attached trailer called the Robotic Sampling Accessory (RSA),the RSA provides automated sampling capabilities through an attached three-degree-of-freedom robot that will be equipped with surface and subsurface sampling probes, the proves are currently being designed by a multi-disciplinary team consisting of engineers and scientists at Ames Laboratory, Iowa State University, and Lockheed. This system is expected to improve sample quality assurance, reduce sampling time and cost, and improve worker safety, limitations and future areas of research for the MDLEST-RSA are also discussed.