This is part of IEEE Spectrum’s ongoing coverage of Japan’s earthquake and nuclear emergency. For more details on how Fukushima Dai-1’s nuclear reactors work and what has gone wrong so far, see our explainer and our timeline.
A few days ago, Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), the operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant, sent iRobot PackBots into three reactor buildings at the complex. Now TEPCO has released multiple videos showing two PackBots navigating inside the dark, highly radioactive buildings.
It's quite a sight to watch the robots negotiating steps, rolling over debris, and pointing their cameras to sensors and other equipment inside the badly damaged buildings. In the first video below, you can see one of the robots using its manipulator arm to close a heavy door. The last video shows what appear to be sensor readings that reveal low oxygen levels and high radioactivity.
[Note: the videos have no audio.]
Videos: TEPCO
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