NAAREA partners with Fluid Wire Robotics (FWR)

NAAREA announces the signing of a strategic partnership agreement with Fluid Wire Robotics (FWR), an innovative Italian startup specializing in the design of electric robotic systems for remote and unmanned inspection, maintenance, repair, and assemblyin the most extreme environments (e.g. radiation, heat, underwater, vacuum). The aim of this partnership is to provide NAAREA with safe and reliable robotic handling capabilities for its fuel production facility, as well as for its XAMR® microreactors, in particular during maintenance operations or dismantling.

The microreactor that NAAREA is developing is a fourth-generation molten salt fast reactor capable of generating 40 MWe and 80 MWth for low- or high-temperature heat, using long-lived radioactive waste recovered from spent fuel from nuclear power plants.
Designed to be installed in close proximity to electro-intensive industrial sites, the microreactors will remain under NAAREA’s ownership to ensure the installation’s safety, security and proper maintenance at all times.
The maintenance and dismantling of these systems after decommissioning require complex handling under challenging conditions (high temperatures, radiation and potentially in pools).
In this context, Fluid Wire Robotics’ technology, based on a proprietary hydrostatic transmission system called “Fluid Wire”, represents a major asset for NAAREA.

In particular, this technology enables:

The implementation of actuators or robotic arms with six degrees of freedom without built-in electronics in a nuclear zone, with motors and sensors housed in a remote shieldable actuation unit.
The manipulation of objects with great precision, with force feedback and a high level of manoeuvrability.
Work in “remote operation” mode and “production” mode, using repetitive sequences programmed and validated in advance.

This technology makes it possible to operate under the harshest conditions:

Up to 1.5 MGy of radiation
Temperatures up to 180 °C
Underwater work

Thanks to this collaboration with Fluid Wire Robotics, NAAREA will notably be able to:

Make use of precision actuators with force feedback, capable of surviving hostile environments.
Inspect and maintain its microreactors using robotics (in maintenance facilities or on the operation site).
Automate certain key steps of the fuel production process (in particular the handling of reprocessed fuel).
Carry out robot-assisted dismantling operations, including in pools.
Optimize/automate and safely carry out certain activities in laboratories and production sites.

By partnering with Fluid Wire Robotics, NAAREA is taking a key step forward towards the industrialization of next-generation nuclear technology.
Designed for safe maintenance, handling and reuse, NAAREA’s microreactors will thus benefit from an industrialization approach made possible by the integration of robotic solutions that are capable of operating in the most demanding environments. This collaboration marks a major step forward towards a safe, sustainable and replicable industrial model, both for the reactor production site and NAAREA’s fuel production facility, as well as operational sites.

About Fluid Wire Robotics:
Fluid Wire Robotics (FWR) is a spin-off from the Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna (Pisa), founded in 2024 by Marco Bolignari, Marco Fontana, Ivan De Leonardis, Gianluigi Grandesso, and Francesco Damiani. The company’s mission is to enable remote and unmanned inspection, maintenance, repair, and assembly in the world’s most extreme and unstructured environments.
At the core of FWR’s innovation is its proprietary Fluid Wire technology, which relocates all actuation and electronics to a remote Actuation Box. This breakthrough enables the development of fully electric robotic manipulators that are inherently suited for operation in radiation, vacuum, underwater, explosive, and high-temperature conditions—while remaining accessible in terms of cost, deployment, and maintenance. FWR’s modular and scalable platform delivers high dexterity, resilience, and safety across a broad range of critical missions and industries, providing a universal foundation for reliable automation “at the edge.” Recognized as a NATO DIANA Innovator under the Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic program, FWR demonstrates strong dual-use potential across defence and critical-infrastructure sectors.
The company is also incubated at the European Space Agency (ESA) BIC Turin, reinforcing its growth trajectory and expanding its capabilities within the aerospace domain.

Learn more at: https://www.fluidwirerobotics.com/