The Elios drone was developed by Swiss company Flyability as an alternative to sending humans to perform 
Source: Flyabilityvisual inspections in radioactive environments, thereby increasing nuclear workplace safety. Notable demonstrations include the use of Elios by a major U.S. energy producer to investigate a reactor basement, and its deployment to survey a tank in the primary cooling circuit of a European nuclear plant.
Exelon PowerLabs recently coordinated the testing of the Elios at one of Exelon’s nuclear sites, involving incremental increases of radiation exposure to the craft while in operation. The optical camera and radio control of the Elios performed normally while exposed to radiation for 10 minutes at a rate of 800 rem/hour. Two functional checks consisting of disarming (stopping) and arming (starting) the aircraft were subsequently performed to determine if the unit remained fully operational after such high doses. The cumulative test sequences exposed the Elios to more than 180 rem (1.8 Sv), which is more than 90 times the yearly dose limit for a single person working at a nuclear plant in the U.S. and in France.
Flyability is also exploring applications such as nuclear asset decommissioning and nuclear used fuel storage management by providing visual access to inaccessible places. The results of the recent tests confirm the potential of Elios and benefits for users, especially for the radiation specialist in charge of reducing human exposure to radiation.
