iRobots Enter Fukushima; Get In Crucial Details

It’s been well past a month now, since the earthquake, and the subsequent tsunami ravaged major portions of North- Eastern Japan. Efforts to start life afresh began soon after.

Braveheart.. (Image courtesy: iRobot)

However, despite several attempts to seal the radioactive leakage that began soon after at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, radiation levels kept touching a new high. With it being impossible for a human to step in to gauge the damage, and accessing the details being very crucial to decide further course of action, remote-controlled robots have been called in.

iRobot Packbots, as they’re called make for an ideal replacement for humans. Using the assistance of these iRobots, it is now possible to gauge the condition on the inside of these nuclear plants, details in the form of videos and pictures can be accessed through these robots. They’re equipped with video cameras that can provide the operators with real-time feeds. Currently, iRobots are traversing the plant’s building number 3, and will enter the other two buildings, soon after.

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Although, it will be a while before details of the information processed by the iRobots, this technology has made it possible to get inside those highly radioactive plants and get in details. An earlier attempt by a bunch of workers failed as their time was damagingly limited owing to the high reaction levels.  

These iRobots have been increasingly assisting bomb squads, infantry troops, among others.