What are Japanese robots doing when Fukushima faces hard time?

Still, there are a lot of things to do in Fukushima Nuclear power plant until it becomes stable to cool down the reactor. All on-site workers are working  for long hours, with wearing heavy anti-radio active uniform. Until this season it may be endurable for workers keep wearing those uniforms. But soon the summer season will be coming and it is expected the temperature goes up to more than 40C very soon.

So, I wonder what Japanese robots are doing. If they could replace human workers, it will significantly reduce the burden which are now only on human beings.

Then I found out at youtube what they are doing.

They are dancing, and singing on the stage.


This video clip was taken in October, 2010.

The other day, I watched TV program in which some very famous doctors in the robot research lab got together and had open discussions. Some of them said that Japanese robot industry tend to stick too much to humanoid robots. And some said, despite of the critics about the fact that none of the robots have been working so far when actual trouble happens, that they will keep all their focus on developing humanoid robots until it comes into our dairy life. I think both opinions are correct.

It is a bit ashamed that none of the robots developed by Japan is working on site.
But like we see in a super computer industry, which has just developed the world's fastest super computer this year regardless of the significant budget cut of the Government's subsidiary for the project,  I hope those hard critics will help robots industry to expand their focus more widely as a whole.


For the record, if we could say that unmanned track vehicle to carry the debris as one of robots, yes those Japanese made vehicles have already been working on site.

And yesterday, first Japan made robot 'Quince' went into the building of the Fukushima reactor to measure the radio-active contaminated water.

So, I am expecting more robots are coming into this facility to help human beings.

Update: Now U.S Airforce's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(Global Hawk) helps Fukushima Nuclear Plant

It seems the article that I posted March 17 got many hits from the visitors of my blog.
http://myprojectatdc.blogspot.com/2011/03/now-us-airforces-unmanned-aerial.html

So, here is the update.
It seems that Global Hawk flew over the Fukushima nuclear powr plant couple of times at the beginning of the Fukushima Nuclear Powerplant outage.


But it seems they figured what the most useful in this situation is not a Global Hawk, but T-Hawk, which is the Unmannned  Helicopter.



Yesterday,June 24, this T Hawk fell over to the roof of Daini (No.2) nuclear reactor, since it became uncontrollable from remote locations.

Tepco has just publicly disclosed the video which captures Tsunami hit Fukushima Nuclear plant

Two months later after the incidents, Tokyo Denryoku (Tepco) newly  disclosed the video which captured how Tsunami hit the facility at Fukushima nuclear power plant.

The movie and picture shows Tsunami went over 10m seawall and went up to the top of  tank which hight was 5m.

But why did this disclosure have to be two months later?
Also, yesterday was the first date of the worker on site, went into the #3 reactor facility.

this is the video clip of the news show.
How Tsunami hit the facility shows up from 00:28 to 01:45.
http://www.fnn-news.com/news/headlines/articles/CONN00199726.html

One worker at Fukushima nuclear power plant collapsed and died

Yesterday, a worker who was working within the Fukushima nuclear power plant reactor collapsed on site, and brough to the hospital immediately, but unfortunately died yesterday in his early 60s. The death is because of the cardiac infarct.

Now the conditions to work within the facility is incredibly difficult. The workers are supposed to wear special anti-radio active uniforms and carry air tank on his back, put on the full-face mask which has a filter not to inhale radio infected substances. With all of those equipment and suit equipped, which becomes 15Kg,  the workers are implmenting the water hoses, which sometimes becomes 20kg,  into the facility by carrying it over their shoulders to cool down the reactor. Also , the environement in the facility is high temperature (34 - 40 C) and high humidity (94 -99%) now.

It is not good work environment at all for everyone, espcially for the man in his 60s.


Workers on site purpotatedly say that 'It is like wearing sauna suite in summer. Within 15 minutes, mask are filled with the sweat tearing down from the face. And we can't drink water two or three hours when once we get into the facility.'

As I said, we trust in those worker's devotions, hardworing in Fukushima plant, where 1,934 people are on duty.  But I believe it's time for Japanese Government to take initiatives to improve the work envirionment and some measures to help make the facility settled much faster.

This picture is taken when they survey the facility before the implementaion work of those hoses.

Now Robot developed in Japan is ready to send to Fukushima Nuclear Powerplant

So, at last, Robot developed in Japan is ready to sent to Fukushima nuclear power plant. This robot is originally developed as rescure robot, and had been expected to send to Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant from the beginning.
But due to the high level radio active in Fukushima plant, the IC circuit of it is anticipated to be melt down in quite few minutes.

Chiba Kogyou Univ. and Tohoku Univ. modified to enforce anti-radio active protection and made sure that it will work under 100 Sv/h environment, which is 400 times higher radio-active level that people can work.

This robot has an arm,

can climb over stairs and debris, shoot laser beam to get 3D image and measure radio active level.

New Buzz Word in Japan: Huu Hyou Higai (economic damage from rumors)

If you are in Japan, I'm sure you've heard a word 'Huu Hyou Higai' on TV news show a lot everyday.
'Huu Hyou Higai' means the damage, in most case economic damage, due to the groundless rumors.

Japanese mass media repeat everyday that the most dangerous ting is the economic damage from the rumors that has no rational reasons. Media repeats that the radiation level detected near Fukushima Dai Ichi nuclear power plant will not affect immediately to human health. The foods, such as vegetables, milk, of which radiation level exceeds the safety standards, are well controlled by Government and never go to market. So, feel safe and buy foods even from Fukushima Pref. as long as those are in market.

Even after Japanese Government raised risk rating of nuclear incident from 5 to 7 based on the IAEA standard, most of the Japanese media reports focusing on how Fukushima and Chernobyl cases are different.

So, we feel very odd when we see the way people in other countries is responding to this Fukushima nuclear issue. It seems overreacting.

The thing we need to be careful is not the way Japanese Government announce but the way how Japanese media broadcast the nuclear problem.

By the way,
Huu meas wind (we often say a wind bring rumors)
Hyou means judgement
Higai means loss or damage

It might be interesting if you count how many time you hear this word on one TV news show.

This is Tsunami hit Haramachi Thermal power plant

This thermal electric power plant is located along with the same seacoast of Fukushima nuclear power plant, which is just 10 miles away to the north.



You'll see huge white-wall like Tsunami is coming. At the beginning, everybody felt safe, but realised this Tsunami was extraordinary. They quickly started to evacuate.

Japanese have never been changed.

With this unfortunate disaster, I realised that Japanese have never been changed since World War Ⅱ．　Especially, in Fukushima Nuclear incidents, I feel this strongly.

In one of NPR news show in U.S, a caller asked to a reporter in Tokyo dispatched from U.S, 'Why don't Japanese go panic in the first place. They trust Japanese Government?'.

It was when U.S government ordered Americans evacuate from 50 miles from Fukushima Nuclear Plant, while Japanese Gov. ordered Japanese to evacuate from just 12 miles from the plant.

The reporter avoided the clear answer to that question. So, I will give.
The answer is NO. We don't believe Japanese Gov. Then, what we believe?

We believe workers, engineers working on the spot.

Yesterday, NHK reported that workers on the spot don't have enough instruments to measure how much they were exposed by radiaon. Those equipment were supposed to be prepared enough numbers so that individual worker can put on to work at radiation contaminated area. But most of those equipment were out of orders because of Tsunami.

So one measuring instrument is given to one team consisted of 4 to 5 persons, while they work separately. (It is obviously not good!!)

Under this situation, they've installed power cabling, came control center back on line, and have just completed to install temporary water pumps.

We really trust those workers' and engineers' dedications and devotions.

Isn't this like Iwo Jima? No enough instrument, desperate operations. only having the sense of responsibility in mind to protect lives in ordinal people?

We should remind that they're not ignorant. They are well trained and have more knowledge about how dangerous to work in radiation contaminated area. They are professionals.

This makes workers on the spot more frightened to work on the spot, without having proper instrument put on. Workers came back from the work area answered the interviewed how much they should encourage themselves and make themselves to be BRAVE to work under such situation.

Those dedications of the workers make Japanese feel relief and avoid going panic.

This is nothing we should proud of, rather I feel ashamed.

But the this might be a unchangeable culture of the Japanese.

P.S
Also, we don't believe Japanese Gov (Politicians) has a courage to hide some critical information from the public.
We are sure that they'll let us know innocently when things are getting out of control.
(Bureaucrats are different story. But in this Fukushima emergency situation, there is not so much space for bureaucrats to work. That is good thing.)

***Update;
Not preparing measuring device for each worker is apparent violation of the regulation. Government ordered TEPCO to prepare enough number of the equipment for each workers. Then, 500 workers are supposed to work in the radiation contaminated area at the same time. TEPCO has already prepared 420 equipment, still needs 80 more devices. It is reported that many companies are offering those devices to TEPCO to fulfill that missing number.

Now trying to remove radiogenic substance by Japanese Traditional Food, Natto

If you have ever been in Japan, you might be surprised to know how Japanese love to eat weired, gooey, slimy food Natto, which is fermant soy beans.

Before you eat it, you need to stir up with chop stick to make it more gooey.It is said the more gooey ,the more delicious.
(

A Professor of Handai Univ. in Osaka made a report to TEPCO(Tokyo Electric Co,) that this stickiness will help remove raiogenic substance from contaminated water.

Theoritically, it makes sense, and TEPCO will do field test to see how much this will be effective.

Yesterday, French specialists of Areba arrived at Tokyo and would start working with TEPCO engineers on the facility.

It is good to use highly state-of-the-art technology to make things settled.
But I like to see those weired challenges as well, because how many those weired idea come up in this emergency situation shows the depth of the fundamental knowlege of the technology.

Actually, TEPCO have already picked up one idea from ordinary road construction company, which is to scatter the chemicals, which is usually used for the road construction, over the surface of the land to prevent the radiogenic substance to flow up and scattered in the air.

Video Clip shows Natto. He tried to stir it up 10,000 times.
It's just he's been carried away.

Tsunami was more than １４M hight

It is getting apparent that the hight of Tsunami hit Tohoku area on Mach 11 was more than 14M.
Who could predict in advance that such enoumous lump of water would hit the towns, or nuclear power plant?

In Japan's history, we could go back at least 600 -700 years with certain reliable records, we can't see any records that shows such enourmous Tsunami hit Japan's sea coast.

According to the Japan Meteological Agency, this time's earthquake is the very rare case that three major earthquakes happened working together.

Don't think that those area have not prepared in advance. Each town actually prepared for Tsunami with building big bank along with the coast line, with periodical evacuation training etc.

But those banks were just 5 meters, which were good enough to avoid most Tsunami.
Last year, Government made special assgined to team to slash the national budget.
Ironically, the first budget being cut was to build Super-Bank to avoid huge Tsunami.
I would say nobody was against such budget cut. Rather, every Japanese see that the plan to build-out such huge bank was the evidence of how inefficient the government's budgetary plan is.

In terms of the preparation of the preparation of Tsunami, Fukushima power plant did emergency training last November, assuming one of their facilities totally lost electric power.

But this time, four out of six facility went out of controll at the same time.

Like this, this disaster shows nature is far beyond our imagination based on our historical experiences.

Now U.S Airforce's Unmanned Aerial Vehicle(Global Hawk) helps Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Due to the high radiation, onsite engineers are not able to close the failities.
More worse, nobody in war-room for remedy action can see what exactly the status of each reactor is.

Then, Japanese Government asked US Air force to send Global Hawk(UAV) to take pictures of the facities so that engineers can see and understand the exact conditions of the facility. (although they are still monitoring various figures at various points, those information has its limitation to know the actual situation.)

NHK news reported that this US airplane would be onsite from March 17 and work from March 18.

*****Update April 1, 2010
It seems that the pictures taken from this airplane are given to the Japanese Government. I don't know why. I think the most party in need to see the pictures is TEPCO people. As of today, none of those pictures are disclosed to the public.
Is this because U.S does not want to disclose the pictures that may reveal how much in detail the airplane can shoot in picture?

Fukushima nuclear power is an old facility operated since 1971

In a TV show where the security of nuclear power plant was discussed, some professors pointed out,
'it's too sad to hear from many countries, such as U.S, France,Germany, announcing the revisit of the nuclear power plant development plant by looking at the situation in Fukushima power plant. That facility is built and started it's operation couple of decades ago. The security and plant designs have been improved in more latest facilities. As Fukushima No.2 power plant shoes, which is located few miles away from Fukushima No1 power plant which is now deep in trouble and have been operated in a very stable manner even after the hit by same natural disaster, the facility with the latest technology showed the capability of much more reliant operations.'

Granted their claims are technically correct, new incidents coming out everyday get us frustrated and exhaisted so much.
Now it seems number 4 Is in the deepest trouble.