Japan is developing a massive 72-foot robotic arm to remove debris from one of the worst nuclear accidents in history
The device will allow for the collection of radioactive material samples in hard-to-reach areas.
Japan announced Thursday that it will use a 72-foot robotic arm to collect samples of radioactive debris inside the Fukushima nuclear power plant, the site of the severe nuclear accident in 2011.
The mechanism was developed because radiation levels inside the facility are extremely high, making the removal of melted fuel and other waste a very complex task. This effort is part of the plant’s decommissioning project, which is expected to take several decades. Experts estimate that about 880 tons of highly hazardous material are currently inside the facility.
The operator, Tepco, released a four-minute video showing a snake-like robotic arm, about 72 feet long and weighing roughly 4.6 tons, moving through pipes and narrow structures to inspect hard-to-reach areas inside the reactor.
Far more effective
A company spokesperson told AFP that this robot is far more effective at gathering information than any of the tools used previously. The device is expected to be used in the third test operation to remove debris from one of the most heavily damaged areas of the Fukushima Daiichi plant.
So far, technicians have only been able to collect small samples of radioactive material as part of a pilot project designed to study the removal process. However, no large-scale extraction has been carried out yet.
Current projections suggest that the full removal of the waste could be delayed until 2037. In the past, however, the company had indicated that large-scale operations would begin sometime during the 2030s.
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