FEW tasks are more urgent for Japan than the clean-up of the stricken Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant. Extracting spent fuel-rods from its toxic reactor buildings calls for a new generation of remote-controlled robots. One gadget broke down last spring after just a few hours’ operating amid intense radiation. This month Toshiba, a conglomerate ranging from semiconductors to nuclear engineering, unveiled a scorpion-shaped robot equipped with multiple live-feed cameras that will go into action at the plant next year.
Economist 30th Jan 2016 read more »