Fukushima decommissioning: Japan deploys snake-like robot to remove nuclear debris

Japan has deployed snake-like robots to remove Fukushima nuclear debris and boost decommissioning efforts.

Cleaning up the Fukushima nuclear power plant is a difficult task that will take decades to remove materials and debris covered with highly dangerous radiation.

The station holds about 880 tons of melted fuel and radioactive debris. This mess was caused by a massive tsunami and earthquake that triggered a nuclear accident in 2011.

To make decommissioning safe for workers, Japan came up with a snake-like robot arm, featuring a length of 22 metres length and weight of 4.6 tonnes.

In a video released by plant operator TEPCO, the robot can be seen moving through small tunnel-like passages and inspecting complex structures within a confined space.

Equipped with a camera, this robot is better at obtaining information than previous devices used in this project.

According to company spokesman Isao Ito, TEPCO is planning to conduct its third trial phase later this year in which the robot would be deployed to remove radioactive debris at one of the melted reactors in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

In the earlier trials, the robot collected tiny samples of radioactive material using special tools, but it remains to see whether the robot arm can perform full-fledged extractions or not.

Last year in July, TEPCO announced a delay in a massive debris removal operation until 2037.