Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Monday, 28 March 2011
Saturday, 26 March 2011
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Without Robots the World could Blow
Robots from all over the world are being sent to Japan to help stabilise the nuclear crisis.
The Japanese have their own unmanned fire engine, which was developed in 1986, to tackle blazes or fires which are too dangerous for humans to be near. The engine has been used to spray sea water from its 800 metre hose directly onto the spent fuel rod pool at the no. 3 reactor. It worked tirelessly for 13 hours (one benefit of being of a robot!) to cool the reactor down.
Japan have also sent in several Monirobo or monitoring robots to accurately assess the damage inside the reactor. The monirobo has heavy radiation shielding built into its design and has no problem functioning inside the damaged reactor. At 1.5 metres high it runs on caterpillar tracks (think WALL E) and has a movable arm designed for collecting samples and removing debris. The monirobo weighs 600 kilos and has a top speed of 2.4 kilometres an hour. The heavy shielding is necessary because cameras and many other electronics are easily damaged by radiation.
A ‘super water cannon’ had been flown in from Australia. The unmanned device is made by the Bechtel Corporation and can spout 9,000 litres of water a minute. It has a better range than the fire engine above, that of 150 metres. The device was so large two RAAF C-17 cargo planes had to be used in order to deliver it.
America’s iRobot corporation of Bedford, Massachusetts have supplied four special android machines normally used in bomb disposal situations. Two 510 PackBots and two 710 Warriors are being used to enter the damaged buildings and perform tasks that no human in his right mind would be prepared to do. Even robots face danger from heavy radiation and it is not known whether even the metal machines will survive the radiation leak from the reactor. The robots are expected to have a 50% shot at ‘survival’ as it were. Is dying in the line of duty noble for a machine too?
The French group INTRA are planning to send a special group of robots for use in specialised nuclear accidents. The robots are able to be controlled from several kilometres away and have several different functions. The six ton ERASE has a powerful hydraulic manipulator, the EROS fleet is developed for smaller tasks inside the reactor and the radio relay robot ERELT allows the machines to be controlled from long distances.
The Global Hawk Drone from Guam has been used to provide up-to-date imagery. The unmanned aircraft can provide aerial photos, thermal imaging and has a function for Synthetic Aperture Radar which will make sure the reactor is kept under close surveillance day, night and in adverse weather conditions.
Without these robots the situation in the Fukushima power plant could have become life threatening for many millions of people. In the future, these metal machines could well avert a total catastrophe on a scale never seen before.
With all these robots already in action, we have to wonder how long it will be until some nuclear power stations and radioactive plants are completely manned by automatons, with no humans in sight. It may not be as far in the future as we think.
Source: http://www.newscientist.com
Wednesday, 23 March 2011
Monday, 21 March 2011
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
The Wonder of Wee and the Power of Pee!
The human race is on the lookout for cleaner, greener and more efficient ways of using energy. So what would you say if your waste products were in demand? Would you be a little bit squeamish? Read on…
Read more: http://scienceray.com/technology/the-wonder-of-wee-and-the-power-of-pee/#ixzz1GmplD9LN
http://scienceray.com/technology/the-wonder-of-wee-and-the-power-of-pee/
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