June 18, 2013

Robot with Honda's ASIMO technology to be used at Fukushima plant

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20130618p2g00m0dm034000c.html

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday it will conduct a survey at its crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant with a remote-controlled robot that uses technology originally developed for Honda Motor Co.'s ASIMO humanoid robot.

The new robot, jointly developed by Honda and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, will be sent to the plant's No. 2 reactor building Tuesday to check the radiation level and the condition of high areas of the first floor.

The robot has an arm with 11 joints and it can survey areas as high as 7 meters even in a narrow space using a zoom camera, laser range finder and dosimeter at the tip of the arm.

In developing the robot, Honda said it has applied technologies used for ASIMO, such as a system that enables simultaneous control of multiple joints.

The outcome of the survey is expected to be used for the planning of cleaning the radiation-contaminated building. TEPCO is also considering using the robot for surveys at other buildings.

The utility plans to eventually decommission the Nos. 1 to 4 units that were greatly damaged by the nuclear accident, triggered by the devastating earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.

See also on Japan Times:

…

Asimo kin to probe plant

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/06/19/business/tepco-minutes-reveal-staff-exodus-concerns/#.UcCN3NhBpg4

Kyodo

Tokyo Electric Power Co. said Monday it will conduct a probe at its crippled Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant with a remote-controlled robot that uses technology originally developed for Honda Motor Co.’s Asimo humanoid robot.

The new robot, jointly developed by Honda and the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, will be sent into the reactor 2 building Tuesday to check the radiation level and condition of high areas on the first floor.

The robot has an arm with 11 joints and it can examine areas as high as 7 meters even in a narrow space using a zoom camera, laser range finder and dosimeter at the tip of the arm.

In developing the robot, Honda said it has applied technologies used for the Asimom, including a system that enables simultaneous control of multiple joints.

The outcome of the probe is expected to be used for the planning of cleaning the radiation-contaminated building. Tepco is also considering using the robot to check the inside of other damaged buildings.

The utility plans to decommission reactors 1 to 4 when the process can be safely accomplished. The work is expected to take decades.

June 8, 2013

Methane hydrate test-drilling in Sea of Japan

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130608_03.html

Japanese government researchers started a survey on the amount of methane hydrate in the Sea of Japan on Saturday. The purpose is to extract natural gas from the frozen substance.

Methane hydrate takes on the appearance of ice and is formed from methane and water. It's found on the seabed, often at great depths.

Researchers are using sonar to survey the distribution and amount of methane hydrate off the coast of Niigata Prefecture.

In March, the government successfully extracted natural gas from frozen methane hydrate under the sea off the Pacific Ocean coast. The drilling took place hundreds meters beneath the seabed.

Areas to be surveyed will be increased from next year. It's hoped that such methane hydrate deposits can be commercialized in 5 years

May 22, 2013

Robot for nuclear decommissioning

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20130522_40.html

The government and Tokyo Electric Power Company say they plan to build a facility to develop a robot to help decommission the reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

Radiation levels in the plant are too high for workers to remove melted nuclear fuel rods.

The government and TEPCO say they will develop a robot that can be operated remotely. They plan to build the facility in a town in Fukushima Prefecture, about 20 kilometers from the crippled plant.

The facility will include a life-size model of the containment vessel.

Workers will be trained to operate the robot at the facility.

The government and TEPCO hope to begin operating within 2 years.