Mechatronics Design and Structural Validation of Intelligent Trolley and Rescue Interfaces for Nuclear Fusion Remote Handling Operations

The maintenance of future fusion power plants requires transporting heavy, radioactive components between the reactor building and the maintenance facility in areas where human access is prohibited. A modular architecture based on a cooperative fleet of multiple small transporters emerges as a promising alternative to a single large transporter vehicle, offering greater flexibility, redundancy, and manoeuvrability while distributing the load across the fleet. A market assessment of commercial trolley-like systems shows they are not yet adapted to the payload, radiation, and cooperative-operation demands of the fusion environment. This paper presents the mechatronic design and structural validation of an intelligent, omnidirectional trolley designed to operate as part of a cooperative fleet, with each unit intended to distribute loads of the order of 20 tons. The concept is developed from operational requirements through its main subsystems. The Mecanum-wheel motion system, the lifting mechanism, on-board sensing, and a dedicated trolley-to-trolley interface for rescue operations in inaccessible areas. Finite Element Method analyses under worst-case loading confirm structural feasibility and provide a quantitative basis for capability estimation. The result is a coherent, manufacturable trolley concept, grounded in structural evidence, that can be built on existing industrial technology to meet the specific needs of nuclear fusion Remote Handling operations.