A Toshiba decontamination robot, for work inside a nuclear plant, is used during a demonstration at Toshiba's technical center in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo on February 15, 2013. The crawler robot blasts dry ice particles against contaminated floors or walls and will be used for the decontamination in TEPCO's stricken Fukushima nuclear power plant. A remote controlled robot that uses dry ice to vacuum up radiation was unveiled by Japanese researchers on Friday, the latest innovation to help the clean-up at Fukushima. The caterpillar-tracked device blasts dry ice—frozen CO2—against floors and walls, evaporating and carrying radioactive substances with it, engineers said. The nozzle also sucks up the resulting gases. The robot has two boxy machines the size of large refrigerators and moves on crawlers that are remotely controlled. Each machine has four cameras that allow the device to "see" what it is doing, an engineer told reporters. "As the machine blasts tiny grains of dry ice against the surface, the impact of it as well as the energy of evaporation help detach radiological substances," said Tadasu Yotsuyanagi of Toshiba, which developed the robot.

"Since dry ice immediately gets sublimated into gas, it itself does not produce contaminated waste," he said, adding the technology was developed initially to scrape paint off airplanes. An engineer of Toshiba displays a decontamination robot, for work inside a nuclear plant, during a demonstration at Toshiba's technical center in Yokohama, suburban Tokyo on February 15, 2013. vax u90-p1-p upright vacuum cleaner The robot can theoretically clean a space of up to two square metres (22 square feet) per hour, but the current system can only hold enough dry ice for half an hour.inalsa rapid clean vacuum cleaner reviews The engineers will test the robot first at a separate nuclear plant this month, aiming to introduce it to the battered Fukushima nuclear plant this summer, Yotsuyanagi said.aeg ag935 ergorapido vacuum cleaner black

The massive earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, sparked an atomic emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi plant in the northeast of the country. Efforts to clear up after the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl in 1986 are still continuing, with high levels of radiation hampering operations. The decommissioning of the crippled plant is expected to take several decades. Toshiba in November unveiled a remote-controlled robot resembling a headless dog that they also hoped to use at the Fukushima power plant. The tetrapod, which weighed 65 kilograms (143 pounds) and was about one metre (3 foot, four inches) tall, was designed to be able to cover difficult terrain—such as going up steep steps—that regular robots struggle with. In December, it successfully photographed some of the critical part of the plant's reactor No 2, where high radiation makes it impossible for workers to walk in. But when it was sent for more inspection for the second time, it was hit by a series of defects, including falling backward on steps, the company said.

Toshiba shows four-legged robot for nuke disasterCopyright : Waseda University Researchers in Japan have jointly developed a robot with four arms and four crawlers which can perform multiple tasks simultaneously to help clean up the rubble left after the 2011 quake-tsunami disasters in Minamisoma, Fukushima. On March 13th, a remote controlled four-armed, four-wheeled crawler robot designed to clear rubble and save lives in areas with complex terrain was unveiled at the Kikuchi plant in Minami-Soma Fukushima, previously a designated no-go zone from the nuclear disaster crisis. The robot is a collaborative effort between Waseda University's Future Robotics Organization and the Kikuchi Corporation. The robot's name, "Octopus," derives from the fact that it has eight limbs and is 1.7 meters in height and weights 70 kilograms. The robot can be equipped with a fiber laser capable of cutting through stone and a grappler capable of dealing with radioactive waste. It is expected to have a wide range of applications including assistance in lifesaving efforts for people trapped in buildings destroyed by earthquakes, tsunamis, and fires and radioactive waste management.

Robots of this variety have generally been focused on performing one function at a time on flat terrain. However, the Octopus robot's ability to utilize its four wheels and crawlers to traverse complex terrain and rubble and its ability to utilize all four of its arms simultaneously thanks to its hydraulic capabilities allows it to perform a wide range of tasks such as clearing rubble, fallen trees, and extinguishing fires. When traversing uneven terrain, the robot uses its two rear arms to support its body while climbing with its two front arms and crawlers. Each arm is capable of lifting objects of up to 200 kilograms and all four arms can be used to lift the robot's body from the ground. This type of robot that can utilize four arms simultaneously is very rare. Presently the robot is operated by two people from a remote location but is expected to be operated by one in the future. During the robot's unveiling, Professor Masakatsu Fujie commented, "We are planning to establish a research facility in Kikuchi Minami-Soma plant.

We hope to overcome the obstacles that come with natural disasters and an aging society, and use this robot to bring new industries to Fukushima prefecture. A robot to assist in Fukushima reconstruction efforts The Octopus robot was revealed at a conference for the Fukushima Disaster and Medical Welfare Project. Professor Masakatsu Fujie's robot was presented alongside other robots designed to deal with the issues presented by the Fukushima nuclear disaster and assist in reconstruction efforts. Fukushima governor, Masao Uchibori, commented, "The revitalization of Fukushima's industries is essential and we are becoming a hub for innovation in robotics. Robotics are extremely important for Japanese industries and we must challenge ourselves to produce wonderful products and continue developing Minami-Soma." Katsunobu Sakurai, mayor of Minami-Soma, followed the governor and commented, "Before the disaster, Minami-Soma was a hub for robotics. Many employees left and spread themselves across Japan but an enthusiasm to rebuild Minami-Soma has reinvigorated our robotics initiatives.