Another nuclear disaster robot

November 25, 2012

N-disaster robot Rosemary struts its stuff in Asakusa

http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T121124002995.htm

The Yomiuri Shimbun

Rosemary, a robot developed by the Chiba Institute of Technology for use in nuclear disaster rescue operations, was demonstrated in the Asakusa district of Taito Ward, Tokyo, on Friday.

The demonstration was held on the Asakusa Sushiya-dori shopping street to show how the robot responds to various obstacles by climbing over wood and other objects representing disaster debris.

The robot, the latest to be developed by the university, is set to be deployed at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in Fukushima Prefecture.

There are high expectations that the robot, which can be controlled remotely using a video-game controller, will take photos and record radiation levels inside reactor buildings that are inaccessible to humans.

Equipped with belt-covered wheels similar to those of military tanks, the robot can mount slopes as steep as 60 degrees, according to the university.

The demonstration by the university's robot development team was held as part of the shopping arcade association's customer appreciation festival. Residents and tourists watched the robot show its moves.