Robots take the place of human beings to work in particularly high-risk environments

                                Robots take the place of human beings to work in particularly high-risk environments

Robots were sent to the meltdown reactor of the worst hit Fukushima nuclear power plant to start cleaning up

       On February 8, a remote-controlled robot was used to detect the most severely affected nuclear reactor in Japan's damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant. Officials are pushing the cleanup work, which has been deeply delayed and controversial.

An earthquake and tsunami in 2011 triggered the catastrophic meltdown of three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The radioactive core of these reactors sank into the concrete foundation of the nuclear power plant, making it extremely difficult to dismantle them.

The operator of the power plant, Tokyo Electric Power Holding Company, said that the submersible robots were sent to the main containment of unit 1 to install guidance paths for the next five robots. These robots will try to evaluate and collect the deadly high radiation emitted by the melted sample fuel.

The robot LED work was postponed from mid January due to mechanical failure, and is expected to last for several days before the full-scale exploration.

Early detectors showed that the fuel of unit 1 was flooded with highly radioactive water up to 2 meters (6.5 feet) deep.

The other five robots jointly developed by Hitachi general nuclear power and the government funded International Institute for nuclear decommissioning will be sent separately for investigation in the next few months.

The unit 1 detector is designed to measure the melted fuel piles, draw their three-dimensional maps, analyze isotopes and their radioactivity, and collect samples.

These are the key to develop safe and efficient molten fuel removal equipment and strategies.

About 900 tons of melted nuclear fuel remain in the three reactors of the nuclear power station, including about 280 tons of unit 1. It is a difficult task to remove these nuclear fuel, which will take 30-40 years.

Remote control robots with cameras can only see a limited amount of molten fuel in dangerous areas inaccessible to humans. In 2017, ultra-high levels of radiation and structural damage hindered the work of the first investigation team.

Details of how to safely remove, store and dispose of high-level radioactive materials after the liquidation have not been determined.

TEPCO hopes to use a robotic arm to remove the first spoonful of molten fuel from unit 2 later this year, where the internal robotic probe has made the greatest progress.

Fishermen and residents in the outlying area of Fukushima protested against the operator's plan to discharge the radioactive substances in the reactor into the nearby sea after they had treated them and diluted them to a safe and releasable level.

It can be seen that intelligent robots will take the place of human beings and participate in the work of special operations such as first aid, risk elimination and accident handling in more special industries!