Engineers in Japan are preparing to send a small swim automaton into the radioactive waters of Fukushima , as they attempt to find cloth from the nuclear reactor .
The robot is being developed by the Japan - based International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning ( IRID ) , in partnership with Toshiba . It has been called ‘ Little Sunfish ’ , or ‘ miniskirt manbo ’ .
“ We have already developed remotely operated robot for inspections at Fukushima , ” said Goro Yanase , general manager of Toshiba ’s Nuclear Energy Systems & Services Division , in astatement . “ In this example , we had to meet the specific challenges of limited admission and flooding , in a highly radioactive environment . ”
The robot , bid an underwater ROV ( Remotely Operated Vehicle ) , measures just 30 centimeter ( 11.9 inch ) farseeing and 13 centimeters ( 5.1 inch ) widely . It has front- and rear - confront cameras and moderate wires , being powered by a longsighted wire . Five thrusters , four at the rear and one at the front , will help it steer through Fukushima .
minuscule Sunfish will be institutionalize into Unit 3 of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station . Three of Fukushima ’s six reactors went into nuclear meltdown inMarch 2011 , when a tsunami set off by an earthquake struck the plant . About 160,000 people were evacuated from nearby as a result of the radiation leak .
This nuclear reactor has been flooded with coolant up to a depth of about 6 meters ( 20 feet ) . Once hustler have been cultivate , piddling Sunfish will be direct into the flooded reactor at Unit 3next month .
However , the clean - up processcannot beginuntil the melted fuel from all the reactors is found . Various attempt have been made to do this so far , with some material being plant sooner this year . Previous attempt to send robot into Fukushima have fail due to the high radiation level .
This modish robot is small enough to be able to swim into the flooded basal containment vessel ( PCV ) of Unit 3 , where engineers have created a penetration hole 14 centimetre ( 5.5 inches ) across .
Little Sunfish can handle radiation levels of up to 200 Sieverts per hour . But some parts of the flora have levels of up to530 Sievertsper time of day , more than enough to defeat a human , so tutelage will want to be involve when it enters .
As note , though , this is just one small step in a very long process . It has been estimated it will take upuntil 2021to find all of the melted fuel from the three reactors . After that , it will take another four decades to totally decommission Fukushima , at a cost of$188 billion .
