Over the summer, RASS students visit various Laboratory facilities such as the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, the Dual-Axis Radiographic Hydrodynamic Test facility, and the Strategic Computing Complex. Additionally, students attend lectures on topics in advanced automation, including robotic motion planning, PLC programming, advanced electrical concepts, and LabVIEW programming. In addition, professional development and networking are continuously emphasized throughout the summer.
RASS candidates are undergraduate students entering their senior year. At the completion of the internship, students conduct a project demonstration for key members of upper leadership. Finally, students attend a hiring event prior to the end of their internship. At the completion of the event, job offers are extended to students who are a good fit for open positions.
Information for Applications
The RASS 2025 summer internship will run from May 28 through August 8. Students on a quarter system will be allowed a later start and end date.
The RASS job ad for summer 2025 will be posted September 2024 at lanl.jobs
Applicants are required to submit:
- Resume
- One-page cover letter describing:
- Your interest in the Robotics and Automation Summer School and multi-disciplinary autonomous/robotic systems development
- Your near term (1–3 year) academic and professional goals
- How you meet the desired qualifications
- Complete transcripts
The application and required documents must be submitted by January 10, 2025. Notification of acceptance will be sent out by January 31, 2025.
Student travel to the Laboratory will be reimbursed based on the point of origin. Reimbursement of travel costs for the subsequent conference presentation is also provided.
Applicants may send any questions to rass@lanl.gov.
Current Projects
Nathan McLeish, Aneesh Pawar
Customer: E2/ACME
Laser Foil Printing (LFP) is a metal foil-based laminated object manufacturing (LOM) process that utilizes thermal energy, in the form of lasers, to iteratively weld and cut layers of foil onto a substrate to create 3D parts. The goal of this project is to develop a LFP system capable of depositing and welding material on both 2D and 3D substrates, such as on a flat plate and spherical geometry, respectively. The system will utilize 6-axis collaborative robot arms (Universal Robots UR10e) to manipulate the metal foils and a laser beam to weld the thin sheets of metal foil to yield a final 3-dimensional product.
Jessica Mendez, Colin Sanders
Customer: Y-12
The automated DPP-3 assembly system uses robotics and computer vision to assemble and disassemble DPP-3 containers used for shipping between National Security Enterprise sites. The system utilizes a camera and machine learning model to locate the container’s assembly bolts with a high degree of precision. An integrated nut runner located on the end of the system’s robotic arm uses a magnetic socket to thread or unthread the bolts, allowing for both assembly and disassembly of DPP-3 containers. The assembly process requires that the bolts be torqued to a specific torque range in a specific pattern. The DPP-3 assembly system’s robotic arm is mounted on a portable stand so that it can manipulate bolts on both the DPP-3 outer container and the smaller DPP-3 containment vessel.
Gregory Ford, Jackson McFall
Customer: AMPP-3
The Conveyor Material Transport System (MTS) that operates within the Advanced Recovery and Integrated Extraction System (ARIES) trunkline consists of a remotely controlled cart that can transverse the length of the conveyor glovebox, can be operated from a remote location, and can deliver process components to the entrance of any selected module glovebox. In addition, at the entrance to each module glovebox, a specially designed delivery system automatically transfers the payload from the conveyor cart through the module airlock and directly into the module glovebox.
The purpose of this project is to update and replace the conveyor cart’s method of traversing the length of the conveyor glovebox. The rack and pinion-based travel system will be replaced by a wheel that is directly driven by a stepper motor and controlled by a programmable logic controller. Additionally, a robotic arm will be used as a surrogate in place of the payload delivery system. The robotic arm will be located at a designated location and will be capable of picking and/or placing items from the conveyor cart. The system will locate the conveyor cart by use of a stepper motor encoder and multiple inductive proximity switches along the length of the glovebox.
2023 Project and Publications
The 2023 RASS cohort developed the Automated Canister Tracking and Storage (ACTS) system. The ACTS system was divided into three subsystem teams: robotics, material tracking, and PLC conveyor. Canisters are initially located on a storage shelf. A robotic arm is used to locate and retrieve a specific canister. Next, the robotic arm places the canister at an inspection station before using its attached camera to record images used in determining if there is any damage to the canister. The robotic arm then moves the canister from the inspection station to the conveyor belt. At the other end of the conveyor belt, another robotic arm moves the canister to a second inspection station before placing the canister into a new storage location.
- Desiree Dominguez, Meredith Osborne, Malacki Ehlers, Matthew Hammond, Luke Moy, Beth Boardman “Material Tracking for an Automated Canister Tracking and Storage System” Waste Management Symposia, Phoenix, AZ (2024).
- Richard Kovalcik, Aaron Torgesen, Chantal Morales, Gregory Ford, Nathan McLeish, Matthew Hammond, Beth Boardman “Automated Hazardous Material Transport and Storage” Waste Management Symposia, Phoenix, AZ (2024).
Award - Superior Level Rating - Natalie Nguyen, Matthew Coleman, Jason Pieck, Javier Ruiz, Robert Schloen, Matthew Hammond, Beth Boardman “Automated Cannister Tracking System Robotics” Waste Management Symposia, Phoenix, AZ (2024).
RASS Leadership
- Program Leader: Dr. Beth Boardman
- Deputy Program Leader: Matthew Hammond
Sponsors
The Robotics & Automation Summer School is managed by the Automation, Robotics, and Controls group (E-3) in the Engineering Technology and Development division (E-Div). RASS is sponsored by programs across the Laboratory.
