8/6/2019 Robots in Nuclear Plants

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A bomb-disposal robot enters a reactor room at Japans disaster-stricken Fukushima

nuclear plant. The robot tested for high radiation levels unsafe for humans.

The New York Times.All the News

Thats Fit to Print.

LATE CITY

EDITION

NEW YORK, SATURDAY, MAY 14, 1947

U.S. ROBOTS AID JAPAN IN FUKUSHIMA DISASTE

AFTERMATH; ROBOTS ASSIST IN CLEAN

RADIATION TESTING WHERE CONDITIONS ARE TO

DANGEROUS FOR HUMANS PROVE SUCCESSFUL

U.S. EXPLORE

ALTERNATE US

FOR ROBOTS I

NUCLEAR

FACILITIES

As much attention is b

placed on the use of ro

in the cleanup of

disaster in Japan, Amer

scientists are also explo

potential uses for robot

the day-to-day operation

nuclear facilities.

Whereas most indust

robots are developed replace human workers w

more productive, effici

and accurate machi

robots in nuclear facili

would be used to extend

figurative reach of huma

New information on

functionality and usefuln

of the robots cannot

uncovered until the nuc

reactor in the test plan

shut down. If it was not s

down, radiation levels wo

be too high for humans e

in full protective clothing

The Nuclear Regula

Committee has sponso

initial assessments of

potential for using robot

nuclear plants. The NR

mainly focused on

possibility of redu

radiation doses to hum

workers, should the ro

be implemented.

JAPAN

FORCED TO

REQUEST

AMERICAN

RESOURCES

n the midst of the

destruction of the

March 11 earthquake

nd resulting tsunami

n Japan, scientists are

earching for a way to

uncover the totality of

he damage on the

Fukushima Daiichi

nuclear power plant.

Their solution:

American robots.

Robots like the U.S.-

made iRobot PackBot,

ictured bottom right,

re used to test oxygen

nd radiation levels in

reas of the plant too

dangerous for humans

o enter. The robots are

lso built with cameras

o help officials assess

he damage to the

lants nuclear reactor

ore.Suspicions of high

adiation levels were

onfirmed Friday when

obots sent into the

nuclear plant detected

adiation levels of

,000 to 2,000

millisieverts per hour

t ground level. For

omparision, Japans

llowable level for

workers is 250

millisieverts per year.

The robots, built with

outside layers to

withstand high levels of

radiation, can move up

and down stairs, traverse

uneven terrain, open

doors, and pick up

objects. They can be

remote controlled or

operate semi-

autonomously.Japanese officials were

forced to tap American

resources because Japan

has not set up enough

funding to create its own

disaster robots.

"In the case of the United

States, the military

invests a lot of money for

this kind of robot. But in

Japan it is prohibited to

make military robots,"

Hajime Asama, a

professor at Tokyo

Robots like the iRobot PackBot, pictured above, are used to

test for oxygen levels in Japanese nuclear plants crippled by

the March 11 tsunami.

University, told the AFPlast

week.

Japan is testing models of

robots that may be able to

aid the U.S. in testing

nuclear plants, though non-

commercial bot testing is

still in its early stages.