AsianScientist (Apr. 18, 2011) – A pair of remote-controlled robots, provided by US company iRobot, were deployed into the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in Japan this Sunday.
The “Packbots”, as they are referred to, were sent to measure radiation levels, temperature, humidity and oxygen levels inside the reactor buildings.
Traveling on miniature tank-like treads, each Packbot carries an attached video camera, allowing Tokyo Electric Power (TEPCO) to receive live interior images and temperature readings of the troubled reactor building. The Packbots are able to open doors on their own.
Intense levels of radiation have made it impossible for human rescue workers to enter the reactor buildings since the plant’s cooling systems were wrecked by the earthquake and tsunami.
The legal limit for nuclear workers has more than doubled since the crisis began, to 250 millisieverts. Doctors say radiation sickness sets in at 1,000 millisieverts, and includes nausea and vomiting.
So far, the Packbots have come back with radioactivity readings of up to 49 millisieverts per hour inside Unit 1, and up to 57 millisieverts per hour inside Unit 3.
Readings from a water tank in Unit 2 showed a severe spike in radiation that indicates likely damage to the fuel rods inside the spent fuel pool there.
Undeterred by these findings, TEPCO officials still believe that they can still reach their goal of a cold shutdown of the plant within six to nine months.
Besides their task at hand, the Packbot have previously been used to defuse bombs for the US Army in war zones.
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Source: News On Japan.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.
