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.