My company is the one who built those robots and is sending them. Like all complex situations it is harder than it sounds. One significant question that had to be answered was what were the robots going to do? Peek over the edge and look at the spent fuel pool? And after that? It isn’t like there are robots that can just run up the stairs pulling a fire hose. These are disaster zones. Access is very difficult for everyone even without the radiation problem. The “robots” we are sending are in no way automous. In fact the useful ones are a) kits that turn a regular Bobcat front loader into a remotely controled unit and b) small search bots that are available for small spaces. Japan is trying to get power to the pumps and pour water on the reactors. Neither task critically depends on a robot. The bobcat isn’t going to be stringing cables or figuring out what happened to the switchboards. They will help, but aren’t going to be a cure-all.
And yes, they aren’t coming back. Once in the hot zone, there they will stay.
Neat! Can you tell us more about the robots? Got any pictures?
My specific question about them was in regards to early on when looking at the spent fuel pool WAS the problem; there were news reports saying that people couldn’t get close enough to take measurements and it seemed like robots with sensors were the obvious solution. I was wondering why they weren’t deployed THEN.
I understand that irregular terrain would be a lot more difficult. Still, are there no experimental designs that could be tried (humanoids, stair climbers, Big Dog, snakes, drones)?
You know, in reviewing my post-it looks like I slipped into extrapolation… hardly appropriate for GQ. I don’t work for the group that supplies the robots, so I am going on comments made in passing by people who talked to people who…
The company isn’t getting paid for this service (yet. at least no contracts have been signed) and it has taken this long for the company, the Japanese Gov’t and the US Gov’t to come to agreement on even doing this much. There have been company advisors in Japan since soon after the disaster, but only as observers.
Anyway, here is the company press release. The company (Qinetiq North America) has pics etc of the products on their website. And now you can friend a robot on facebook!
QinetiQ North America Sends Unmanned Systems to Japan
Proven Solutions to Aid in Recovery Efforts
Reston, VA- QinetiQ North America today announced that the government of Japan has accepted its offer to provide unmanned vehicle equipment and associated training to aid in Japan’s natural disaster recovery efforts. QinetiQ North America’s technology and services will allow Japan’s response teams to accomplish critical and complex recovery tasks at a safer distance from hazardous debris and other dangerous conditions.
The equipment being staged in Japan for rapid, on-call deployment includes QinetiQ North America’s Robotic Appliqué Kits, which turn Bobcat loaders into unmanned vehicles in just 15 minutes. The kits permit remote operation of all 70 Bobcat vehicle attachments, such as shovels, buckets, grapples, tree cutters and tools to break through walls and doors. The unmanned Bobcat loaders include seven cameras, night vision, thermal imagers, microphones, two-way radio systems and radiation sensors, and can be operated from more than a mile away to safely remove rubble and debris, dig up buried objects and carry smaller equipment.
QinetiQ North America is also staging TALON and Dragon Runner robots in Japan in the event they are needed. TALON robots have previously withstood rigorous deployment and twice daily decontamination at Ground Zero. The TALON robots are equipped with CBRNE (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive) detection kits that can identify more than 7,500 environmental hazards including toxic industrial chemicals, volatile gases, radiation and explosive risks, as well as temperature and air quality indicators. The TALON robots provide night vision and sound and sensing capabilities from up to 1,000 meters away.
QinetiQ North America’s lightweight Dragon Runner robots, designed for use in small spaces, will be available for investigating rubble piles, trenches, culverts and tunnels. Thermal cameras and sound sensors on the Dragon Runners can provide data from up to 800 meters away, permitting the robot’s “eyes and ears” to serve in spaces too small or dangerous for human access.
In addition to the unmanned equipment, a team of QinetiQ North America technical experts will provide training and support to Japan’s disaster response personnel.
“We are honored to have this opportunity to support Japan’s recovery efforts,” said QinetiQ North America Technology Solutions Group President JD Crouch. “Our unmanned vehicles will provide reliable, effective, first responder technology to help protect the brave men and women who are working to save lives and restore critical services.”
QinetiQ North America is a world leader in robotic technology solutions that save lives in defense, security and first responder environments. For more information, follow us on Facebook at Facebook or Twitter at www.twitter.com/qinetiqnarobots.
About QinetiQ North America
Probably not the situation that you want to just “cobble together” something for. What if it ends up not being up to the task due to some rushed design or construction oversight? Now you have a disabled robot blocking a hallway or something when folks are trying to fix things.
True, except if a hastily cobbled together robot broke down due to insufficient testing or design, then the next robot has to have the capability to remove the robot from the kind of situation that defeated it to begin with.
Yeah, because a broken robot might be the real problem. Not the destroyed buildings, the leaking pipes, the bubbling fuel ponds, or the deadly radiation.
Anyone who has seen a picture of the nuclear plant has figured that one out. TMI was way less damage than this, and it tool 17 years to clean up one reactor.
hardly appropriate for GQ. I don’t work for the group that supplies the robots, so I am going on comments made in passing by people who talked to people who…