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Japanese electronics giant Toshiba has developed a tetrapod robot which it claims can help in investigative and recovery work in locations that are too risky for humans to enter, such as the crippled Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant.
The new 65 kg robot is battery-powered and integrates a camera and dosimeter and can investigate the condition of nuclear power plants by remote-controlled operation, the company Toshiba said in a statement today.
The multiple joints of its legs are controlled by a dedicated movement algorithm that enables the robot to walk on uneven surfaces, avoid obstacles and climb stairs, securing access into areas that is challenging to be reached by wheeled robots or crawlers.
The robot can carry a load of 20 kg and has a folding arm to release a companion smaller robot that mounts a second camera.
It can be launched from the main robot and positioned to take images of narrow places and any equipment behind them, and tubes and other places that are too small for the robot to enter.
It is connected to the main robot by a cable.
Toshiba said it will continue research and development on capabilities and operation of the robot so as to enable it to position and install shielding, stop flows of water and remove obstacles.
The Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant was crippled by a series of equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns, and release of radioactive materials following the magnitude 9.03 earthquake and tsunami on March 11, 2011.
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