A robot sent to inspect a reactor' containment vessel at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant stopped responding three hours into the operation. TEPCO hoped to take a look inside the vessel containing one of the three reactors, which underwent a meltdown in the 2011 nuclear disaster.
A group of approximately 40 workers sent the remotely-controlled device, allegedly capable of withstanding high levels of radiation, into the vessel at 11:20 a.m. The robot stopped functioning after covering two thirds of the route at approximately 2:10 p.m., according to the Tokyo Electric Power Co.
The company did not say whether it would send another robot into the vessel on Monday, as previously planned. TEPCO's ultimate goal is to use the robot to inspect the melted fuel inside the vessel.
TEPCO Sends Robot to Inspect Fukushima's Radioactive Heart
Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) sent a robot to examine a reactor' containment vessel at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, crippled in a 2011 incident dubbed the world's worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
The remotely controlled device, equipped with cameras, a thermometer and a dosimeter, will allow the company to take a look inside the vessel containing one of the three reactors, which underwent a meltdown. Unlike people, the robot can withstand high levels of radiation.
Approximately 40 workers will be involved in the operation, the first of its kind. The first stage is expected to be completed on Friday. TEPCO will send the robot into the vessel again on Monday. The company's ultimate goal is to use the robot to inspect the melted fuel inside the vessel.
