Japanese nuclear power plant operator unveils a robot to assist in fixing damaged reactor
The robot will be tested inside one of the damaged reactors by October, for the first time since the plant’s meltdown after the magnitude 9.0 quake and tsunami in 2011. The target is two years behind schedule due to multiple delays. During Tuesday’s demonstration at the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Kobe, western Japan, where the robot has been developed, the device, equipped with tongs slowly extended from the tip of the telescopic pipe down to a heap of gravel. TEPCO plans to remove less than 3 grams (0.1 ounce) of debris in the actual test at the Fukushima plant.