The future of deep space exploration may depend on what some engineers call "hot robots."  These robots are designed to be used in places that humans cannot reach, and may one day be required to perform tasks that are too dangerous for human workers or even other robots.  

Thermal robots are being used for the first time inside decommissioned nuclear reactors.  The term "hot" refers to the dangerous radioactivity that makes these reactors impractical or too dangerous for humans.  That's where these heavily shielded robots come in to help with tasks like reactor inspections and waste cleanup.  Now, scientists and engineers hope to take them to new missions and new places, including space.  

"We are now looking to scale up this heat so that it can be referenced to more general applications, including space, agriculture and the offshore sector," Barry Lennox, an engineer at the University of Manchester, said in a statement.  Many of the challenges are similar, although the robot may end up looking a little different."  

Some of these applications may involve a different kind of nuclear power: fusion.  Nuclear fusion may be able to unlock a future of clean, nearly unlimited energy - including in space, but it takes place in extreme environments, such as the interiors of stars or incredibly powerful magnetic fields.  Fusion power creates energy by smashing atoms apart, but the process requires overheating plasma to a temperature comparable to that of the sun.  In addition, the process produces large amounts of radiation.  All of these could be contained in a reactor chamber, but that would make the interior of these reactors dangerous for humans.  

Various forms of nuclear power and propulsion have been proposed for future space missions and spacecraft, some of which may employ fusion reactors.  These types of thermal robots will be needed if the long-held dream of space-based fusion is to be realized.  

These scientists believe thermal robots may be able to enter the extreme environment inside a nuclear reactor.  There, they are able to perform valuable maintenance tasks that humans can't, but are necessary to keep fusion power running.  The robots will be equipped with artificial intelligence so that they can operate and perform complex tasks independently of human operators.  

"The next generation of robotics will be critical to the delivery of fusion power," Rob Buckingham, director general of the UK Atomic Energy Authority, said in the same statement.