In the worldwide, nuclear energy has become the vast scope of energy and the scientists are working to make the more use of it, but the exposure of radiations, environmental and safety issues limits the range of nuclear energy. When the high radiations like 9.0 magnitude earthquake or tsunami attacked any place, it was no wonder that there was one thought in the minds of intelligent brains and that is -the robots should be designed to operate in those areas where the radiations are too high for any human worker to sustain. To overcome these problems, engineers and scientists are very desperate to manufacture the robots that can operate under the high temperature, high radiations and in contaminated areas. Currently, many robots have developed that are used widely for inspecting and decommissioning tasks that accomplished under the exposure of high radiations. If you have a keen interest in nuclear robotics, their applications and, the latest models, then just scroll down that may enhance your knowledge about the nuclear industry.

Three laws should be followed to develop any robot:

  1. A robot may not injure a human being, or when its failures to act, may not allow a human being to come to harm.
  2. A robot must follow the orders of its operator, except where such orders would not violate the first law.
  3. A robot must protect its own persistence, as long as it is not violating first and second laws.

Applications of Nuclear robots:

In a number of robotic applications, humans are replaced by well-designed machines as they are more efficient, precise and can do monotonous tasks without getting tired. However, in the nuclear industry, the objective is to extend the presence of the robots in those areas where the thermal or radiation environment limits the entry of a human. Below is more about the functions of the robots, they can perform:

  • Handling heavyweights: Nuclear Robots can do tasks like handling heavy radioactive loads, performing tricky repairs and operable in highly contaminated areas where humans can’t go. At present, many robots have been manufactured for use in nuclear plants.
  • To intervene in the contaminated areas: The development of robots can be used to intervene in the hostile environments and helps to collect the data.
  • Helps in tracking the victims: Some robots are also helpful for surveillance applications like in tracking the victims of earthquakes, tsunami, and many natural hazards.
  • Remote access to radioactive areas: The ability of a wide range of locomotion allow the robot to remotely access radioactive areas while keeping the human workers away.
  • Reach locations where humans can’t:  The special of a robot named snake robot is capable to inspect those tasks in nuclear power plants, nitrification plants or storage locations where there is need to reach tanks and piping networks where conventional machines have trouble to even enter.
  • Access through small ports, vents, or opening:  The robots can squeeze themselves to access small tanks or storage barrels through small openings or pipes. This enables nondestructive testing (NDE) or remote visual inspection (RVI) without the need to cut into apparatus or open the radioactive cask.
  • Cleaning the radioactive wastage:  As a large amount of radioactive wastage gathers due to refueling operation, transfer of fuel elements and cleaning of tanks. So, it is very dangerous for humans to clean up the wastage, as it may harm them. So, robots are the better option to replace the human workers.

In conjunction with these, robots have many applications such as underwater cleaning, underwater inspection, and surveillance, improved monitoring of health physics tasks, cooling tower basin sediment cleaning and yet many more to invent.

How the use of robots in the radioactive environment affects the future?

Due to the toxic effects of the nuclear materials, so robots are used to handle them. The nuclear accidents are the most challenging to deal with at present and human can only run away from them in the face of danger. That’s why the manufacturing of robots is growing to manage the nuclear accidents.

  • Characterizing and limiting nuclear accidents:  the fractal robots can be installed in the nuclear reactors because they can kick into action within seconds after an accident. If the robots are damaged then they can repair itself, as they are self-repairing machines. So, the use of these robots may restrict the number of accidents.
  • Increase the use of nuclear energy: As we know, radioactive rays are very harmful to any living-being, which limits the use of nuclear energy in productions. But, with the help of nuclear robots, we can overcome this limitation and use nuclear energy as much as possible in productive ways.

Let’s meet some robots that have been developed and used in the nuclear industry:

  • PackBot: It was the first robot to arrive at the site which was totally ruined by radioactivity. The bot is developed by iRobot of Bedford, Mass and used in the inspection of Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station, where a series of meltdown and explosions occurred.
  • Homegrown: The domestically produced robot that was developed by Chiba Institute of Technology has the capability of working in rubble-strewn disaster sites.
  • A Bot’s Eye view: After hundreds of tests, the robot got permission to enter into the ruined reactor buildings. This robot has the capability to send back the video and radio readings to TEPCO (plant owner) workers who are working on neutralizing the environment.
  • MEISTeR: A Japanese company has revealed a radiant-resistant robot that can clean up the crippled nuclear power plants. It is fully equipped with sophisticated tools has height 1.3m and can payload up to 15 kg.
  • Messina Robot: The robot can transport bulky, heavy loads in contaminated areas, and the structure includes four cars that can move vertically allows the robot to climb on obstacles.
  • Tiny Eggshaped robot:  In the year 2011, the MIT researchers developed a robot prototype for improving nuclear power plant safety. It is a tiny egg-shaped which is inserted with cameras and developed for withstanding radiation.

Check Surveillance Robot Price and Specifications

The basic function to swim through pipes in a nuclear power plant and find the leakage, corrosion or any other defects.

There are robots such as Walking tall, A Big Blaster, For The floor, Armed for Duty and many more which are designed to do tasks in the radioactive environments and help the workers of the nuclear industry.

Like in Japan, where high magnitude earthquake struck Fukushima Daiichi plant, which results in the creation of elegant robots that can enter the ruined reactors, many countries are awaked to developed such robots to get ready at the time of an emergency. Also, to cope with the safety-related issues that related to nuclear power plants, the human factors needs to be minimized by the automating machines (robots) that have the capability to maintain the human’s tasks. The development of the robots that will be operable in the nuclear industry, has a wide scope and can thrive the market of the robotics industry. The robots are playing a vital part in the daunting task of decontaminating and dismantling the reactors and also ensures the safety of nuclear facilities, protects the human being from irradiation, and maintains the efficiency. Nowadays, the demand for nuclear robots has been increasing to detect early unfamiliar and unusual conditions that may save the living beings of the earth. The future of robots in the radioactive environment is expected to reach a phase where nuclear power plants can be made devoid of human beings.

The renowned personality Satoshi Tadokoro well said: “We must prepare for unforeseen situations beyond the scope of expectation and imagination”.


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