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From bioRobot To (Long Overdue) iRobot In 25 Short Years

Submitted by Tyler Durden on 03/18/2011 23:43 -0400

Three days ago, Zero Hedge asked the question that seems so mindnumbingly logical and obvious, it was perfectly normal that nobody in charge had asked it yet, i.e. "Why isnt Fukushima crawling with iRobots armed with cameras?" Luckily, someone in Japan appears to read our Twitter account: as was just repoted, "The Special Ops group of Japan's Self Defense Forces has asked iRobot for some robotic assistance with the situation at the Fukushima Dai-1 nuclear plant, where several reactors are dangerously unstable after a 9.0-magnitude earthquake followed by a tsunami led to failures of their cooling systems last week. Four robots, including iRobot's Packbot 510 and Warrior 710, left Bedford, Mass., this morning on their way to Japan, along with a team of iRobot employees to provide support, an iRobot spokesperson told me." Um, it took them one week to figure out that there is a public company (probably trading at nosebleed valuations) that does just what everybody has been bitching and moaning can not be done in Fukushima by humans...ONE WEEK!? Anyway, at least the option will now be there. Although as the following video presents, a comparable option was available 25 years ago in Chernobyl. Well, with a few minor differences...

Watch:

h/t BobDabolina

- advertisements -

Fri, 03/18/2011 - 23:50 | 1074386 asdasmos

The True Battle of Chernobyl Uncensored

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-5384001427276447319#

Fri, 03/18/2011 - 23:56 | 1074402 bob_dabolina

"Averted a 2nd explosion that could have wiped out half of Europe" in the first few minutes is enough to sober ya up real quick.

How many reactors in Japan are in trouble again?

But this is definately not a "7" right? Right, got it.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 08:39 | 1074881 Cursive

@bob_dabolina

Riveting. Thanks for this footage.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 02:20 | 1074598 johny2

The scale of this tragedy could never be captured in a documentary of hour and a half, but this is a good introduction to the scale of " level 7 " nuclear accident. Scary and sad.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 10:39 | 1074988 Buckaroo Banzai

Wow. Fascinating documentary. Never realized what a staggering achievement it was to clean up the Chernobyl disaster. 500,000 men (most of whom, if they haven't already died, still suffer from the effects of the radiation) mobilized for a gigantic civil engineering project. To construct the sarcophagus, each man could only work a few minutes at a time-- obviously requiring a monumental effort of coordination and planning under the pressure of the highest stakes imaginable.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 13:29 | 1075638 whatsinaname

Have read somewhere that under high radiation, robot electronics starts to fall apart.

Fri, 03/18/2011 - 23:53 | 1074395 three chord sloth

I thought Japan was on the cutting edge of robot research... why don't they have something like this of their own?

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 03:41 | 1074680 Michael

Lookit. Nothing you geniuses think you thought of before the people in charge did is stupid thinking. You are not smarter than they are. They make a million times what you make to figure these things out well in advance of a tragedy like this. It's all already been seen by the owners of you. They already have the inside scoop. Do you think you are of any use to them whatever? Give me a fucking brake.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 03:58 | 1074689 Daphneisfedup

99 times out of 100, yes, the experts will have thought of idea X and discarded it for some good reason - or because they are corrupt.

There is that 1 out of 100th time, though.

Also, sometimes we are not expecting that it's a new idea, we are just wondering why idea X doesn't work.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 06:30 | 1074788 VyseLegendaire

Right. Thats exactly why the IPP in NY has had a leak for a solid 18 years. Cuz the Masters are always omnipresent and beneficent.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 09:25 | 1074916 New_Meat

"...has had a leak for a solid 18 years."

well, intermittent at best.

- Ned

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 16:35 | 1076379 Urban Roman

It only leaks when there's water in it.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 20:51 | 1077233 Mesquite

Try 'break..'

And the book was out long, long ago,

for those that might read...

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 09:02 | 1074893 BorisTheBlade

Perhaps everyone just missed this part of the video above that says that robots were used in Chernobyl before they broke down because of extremely high radiation. Sorry, might not work in this case either.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 11:12 | 1075016 gordengeko

The Japanese on the cutting edge of robot technology? Please... they are so far behind the curve.(sarc) http://www.geekosystem.com/japanese-robot-with-incredibly-realistic-faci...

meanwhile the U.S. would rather develop robots for some other weird and creepy reason.

http://www.redicecreations.com/article.php?id=3203

apparently neither of which are radiation proof.

Mon, 03/21/2011 - 01:53 | 1080805 Real Estate Geek

Hey, I like that first one. When will they come out with the "Pam Anderson at age 20" model?

Fri, 03/18/2011 - 23:53 | 1074396 reader2010

When Gubbermint fucks things up, joe six-packs have to die.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:57 | 1074493 jeff montanye

they had plenty of "private sector" help.

Fri, 03/18/2011 - 23:55 | 1074398 MayIMommaDogFac...

MayIMommaDogFace2theBananaPatch's picture

Maybe IRobot should have thought of sending equipment sooner? Hard to get volunteers for that field trip, I guess.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:15 | 1074432 alien-IQ

We should offer to send in Ann Coulter with a video camera and a cell phone. No doubt she'd be ok with that since she has stated that radiation is actually good for you and works as a sort of vaccine against cancer...and let's face it...who doesn't want a vaccine against cancer?

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 04:00 | 1074690 Michael

Ann Coulter is controlled opposition. A lot of people take her word for it. God help our planet with people like her in it.

Fri, 03/18/2011 - 23:55 | 1074405 High Plains Drifter

I was thinking about why a place like Japan is not using robots? Hmmmm?

now this, a blast from the past , 1997

"Others are engaging even in an eco- type of terrorism whereby they can alter the climate, set off earthquakes, volcanoes remotely through the use of electromagnetic waves......"

Hmmm........

Presenter: Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen April 28, 1997 8:45 AM EDT

http://www.defense.gov/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=674

I knew someone had talked about creating earthquakes before. Hmmm...

HAARP Fluxgate Magnetometer

http://137.229.36.30/cgi-bin/magnetometer/gak-mag.cgi

Bazaar non? Événements étranges plus d'au haarp, non ?

Who knows if they made this happen or not, but there is some interesting information out there to ponder, that is all I am saying on it........

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 01:32 | 1074572 dark pools of soros

Cohen?? nothing to suspect there

put in 20110312 as the end date... nice chart

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 04:02 | 1074693 Michael

That name "Cohen" keeps coming up for some reason?

SNL Style V Comedy Sketch Steve Cohen AKA Nathan Thurm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfFwNiY-0xE

Fri, 03/18/2011 - 23:55 | 1074406 Oh regional Indian

It's all a big show now folks. Grand, sad theater. iRobot.

Roooooooomba. I will suck up all this nasty radiation and digest it in my digital intestines adn use it's force to pwer myself for the next million years.

The solution lies in mico-moves. Not mega moves. Start to spiral in to the core, not jump in/on it and try to beat it out.

A genie has to be coaxed back into his lamp, not stuffed back into it.

But such talk is probably wasted on engineers.

Quick question.....

What is the most radiation absorbent material in the world?

Which is the most radiation resistant material in the world?

Are wither in short supply, when the fate of the world hangs in balance?

ORI

https://aadivaahan.wordpress.com/2010/06/09/an-older-piece-pertinent/

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:02 | 1074407 Number 156

What I dont understand, is that they say this disaster is the same level as that of three mile island. I must be missing something here, because:

1, Three mile island didnt blow their reactor buildings sky high,

2, Three mile island didnt set fire to half of their inventory of spare nuclear fuel.

Just wait until those rods begin to really melt, because as the rack slumps to the bottom of the pool, it will reach criticalitly again, and then its bound to find its way below the foundation of the building, or worse (more likely) , hit water and blow particles of MOX all over the place.

And another aside;

I would like to see some thermal imaging of the reactor bulding. That would tell a lot more than video would.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:12 | 1074421 bob_dabolina

No it us completely normal that you feel like you are missing something because the government is lying about EVERYTHING.

Seriously with these types of incidents the chance of getting anything true is about 1/10 of 1% You literally can't trust anything.

Do some research on Chernobyl documentaries or even 3 Mile Island and the one thing that is consistent is the fever bitch that dishonesty is prevelant. No truth is ever said.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 20:56 | 1077244 Mesquite

Sort of reminds one of the message in

the movie 'Jaws'...

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 09:33 | 1074926 New_Meat

156: evidently you do understand. TMI-2 didn't release the way we're seeing, didn't have spent fuel inside containment, and didn't have the base mat shoved 3 meters or so in whatever direction Honshu went. So this incident is between TMI and Chernobyl (no actual core material in the parking lot) - Ned

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 18:56 | 1076934 johnnyj01

I agree Number 156.

The fuel never melted through the reactor vessel at TMI. A significant amount of "core stuff" did make it to the basement of the reactor building (blown out through a stuck open relief valve) but that is different than a molten slag in the basement like the Chernobyl accident.

No fire (evidence of a small H2 explosion as I recall in containment). No where near breaching containment.

Yes, very disturbing that the thermal images are not disclosed. It is also true that they don't yet know the full story themselves.

Being a multi-disciplined veteran of the industry in the US for 25 years, I must say I have been suprised by the damage, slowness of respose, and lack of effectivness. The Japanese have ingnored many recommendations for safety upgrades from the the US, such as backup portable diesel generators and hose to get water to the spent fuel pools in a "station black out" such as this one. They decided not to put their emergency fuel tanks under ground so that they would not be vulnerable to the Tsunami etc.

I am supremely confident in the TMI exposure data, nil health effects on the surrounding population etc. I don't have the same level of confidence based on what the Japanese government is saying and the disparity between that and our NRC.

I don't even want to think about the spent fuel pool going critical!

It's painful not to have all of the facts, but without hard data, speculation is just that. It's not very useful or accurrate.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:02 | 1074408 JohnG

I am not superstitous but...

OH MY GOD!

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:03 | 1074409 TheJudge2012

Or they could've used Ann Coulter.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 09:13 | 1074901 homersimpson

Didn't you mistype Nancy Pelosi? After all, at least Ann can generate her own money while Nancy just takes it from US taxpayers without asking..

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 13:11 | 1075543 Freddie

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:03 | 1074410 Spalding_Smailes

Perdoname by Del Castillo

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:05 | 1074413 SilverRhino

Sad part of that video. All those guys are dead. 7000 rads an hour? Holy SHIT!!

And it took the japs a fucking week to get a robot?? It's like they WANT Tokyo to die.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:13 | 1074427 bob_dabolina

They don't need robots. They have a group of 50 skeleton workers that are immune to this shit.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:10 | 1074417 NotAlwaysSo

Finally!

At least they will have accurate surveillance and damage assessment now. We could be witnessing a revolution for robotics here. Ironic that Japan couldn't source this competence domestically. That Warrior 710 is a serious piece of kit.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 07:41 | 1074835 Judge Judy Scheinlok

Silicon based circuitry is no match for radiation. Had they invented beefed up lead circuitry with a lead ground plane then I might think the robots could get a little closer but....

It's theater. Happytalk bullshit.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 09:08 | 1074897 Stuck on Zero

A company in my town had a lot of work when the Russians were battling Chernobyl. The company made old fashioned vidicon cameras with tubes and old TTL logic processors. They could take a hell of a lot of radiation. Modern CMOS electronics died in a few minutes. There are hundreds of robots entombed in Chernobyl.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 21:08 | 1077255 Mesquite

Yup..

Unfortunately there are some that just want

to argue and spread disinfo...

Integrity and an open mind, (and experience)

are not always a given...

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 09:13 | 1074900 NotAlwaysSo

JJS, so how does all that electronic equipment in orbit survive?

I know hysteria is trendy right now, but saying robots can't survive in this environment is not exactly a factually based argument.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:10 | 1074419 Milton Waddams

Culture fail occurs when a relatively small segment of society makes the determination that saving face takes precedent over saving lives.

Take heed Americans, I would bet dollars to doughnuts that Bernanke is willing to completely destroy whatever remains of the economy in an effort to prove his economic theories (QE). On a similar note you might recall Greenspan's mea culpa:

ALAN GREENSPAN: Well, remember that what an ideology is, is a conceptual framework with the way people deal with reality. Everyone has one. You have to -- to exist, you need an ideology. The question is whether it is accurate or not.

And what I'm saying to you is, yes, I found a flaw. I don't know how significant or permanent it is, but I've been very distressed by that fact.

At any rate- don't hate the sociopath, hate the game.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:12 | 1074423 Hunch Trader

Isn't it Honda with that snappy walking humanoid robot...they're good just for publicity stunt shows?

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:29 | 1074446 alien-IQ

They'll be used in the next stage of expansion for Madame Tussauds Wax Museum. It's gonna be faaaaabulous!!!

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 10:53 | 1075000 Yes We Can. But...

Did you hear that Justin Bieber was added at Tussaud's?

Now you can go there and view a waxed bieber.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:23 | 1074439 jimclayton

I have been wondering all week why the US military does not send one of those bird-sized stealth aircraft with cameras in to look around the damaged buildings.

Perhaps they already have.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 07:46 | 1074840 Judge Judy Scheinlok

Perhaps she'd melt in about 1/10 of a millisecond. I'm glad they saved the effort and monies. DARPA ain't no dummies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQVyZtHnWwE

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:24 | 1074441 X. Kurt OSis

The answer is simple. Obtaining hard evidence of the condition in the reactors and around the spent fuel rod pools would pretty much end the discussion on whether there's a snowball in hell's chance of turning this situation around. Governments lie. Facts get in the way of that lying. Telling CNN that dropping buckets of water out of helicopters and running extension cords to blown water pumps is going to work helps the government stall the inevitable and time is an asset. A page right out of the FOMC manual.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:39 | 1074456 TruthInSunshine

GAMMA RADIATION LEVELS ON WEST COAST 2 T0 10 TIMES LEVELS ON EAST COAST - GOOGLE CACHE OF THE STORY THAT WAS DELETED

Google cache of story - since taken down.

References Zero Hedge.

No cover up. Suuuuure.

By Miriam Raftery

March 16, 2011 (San Diego) 12:30 a.m. -- A radiation map on the U.S. Environmental Protection Service shows radiation levels at measuring stations across the United States. There is a disturbing pattern showing gamma radiation levels along the West Coast, Alaska and Hawaii at two to ten times levels on the East Coast, with midwest states in mid-ranges:

The EPA radiation site (www.epa.gov/radiation) has a database but does not appear to list what units this map is measured in, so it is difficult to assess whether these levels should be of concern. However it's clear from the map that levels are highest in all West Coast states, Hawaii, Alaska, Arizona and Nevada, all with measures in the 900s, tapering off as you move eastward, with measurements on the East Coast ranging from around 100 to 400.

The map displays gamma radiation. The site states that gamma radiation is only measured when beta radiation is found to exceed normal levels.

Gamma radiation is the type of radiation being spewed forth from at least four failed Japanese nuclear reactors, including two where authorities have indicated the core has been breached, plus a spent fuel rod pond where radiation was released directly into the atmosphere. In low levels, gamma rays can cause nausea and other effects. In high levels, it can cause more serious health effects both short and long term, including cancer and birth defects.

East County Magazine will be contacting the EPA when their office opens for an explanation on the measurements. Earlier today, the EPA issued a statement indicating it will deploy more electronic monitors that measure radiatiolevels in the air. The monitors, which detect gamma radiation and radioactive particles, will be set up in "parts of the Western U.S. and U.S. territories," the agency said in a statement.

EPA officials, however, refused to answer questions or make staff members available to explain the exact location and number of monitors, or the levels of radiation, if any, being recorded at existing monitors in California, the San Jose Mercury-News reports. Margot Perez-Sullivan at the EPA's regional headquarters in San Francisco, said the agency's written statement would stand on its own.

Critics said the public needs more information.

"It's disappointing," said Bill Magavern, director of Sierra Club California. "I have a strong suspicion that EPA is being silenced by those in the federal government who don't want anything to stand in the way of a nuclear power expansion in this country, heavily subsidized by taxpayer money."

The EPA has 124 air monitors, which provide hourly readings, already in place in its "Rad-Net" system to measure radiation, including 12 in California and two in Hawaii. California locations include San Jose, Sacramento, Fresno, Los Angeles and San Diego; however the San Diego monitor is listed as "inactive" on another EPA database. The EPA also has 40 mobile monitors, some of which are now being deployed. The agency clarified that some would go to Guam, Hawaii and Alaska, but did not respond to questions about California, the Mercury-News said.

"As the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has said, we do not expect to see radiation at harmful levels reaching the U.S. from damaged Japanese nuclear power plants," the EPA statement yesterday stated.

Government regulatory agencies and nuclear experts have repeatedly said that high levels of radiation are unlikely to hit California in significant quantities because Japan is 5,000 miles away. However, studies from the California Air Resources Board have found that coal dust and other pollution from China regularly reaches the state.

Most experts said that if the Japanese reactors experience a complete Chernobyl-type explosion, fire and release of nuclear material, some could reach California, but "probably in very low amounts," the Mercury- News reports.

The Japanese government now has a website with radiation readings there posted online, however Fukushima and certain other locations are listed as "under survey" and have not been releaesd. You can view the current data here: http://www.bousai.ne.jp/eng/

There is an analysis and screenshots of the Japanese data here that indicates gamma radiation levels were extremely high 100 miles or so from the explosions and fires at the Fukushima nuclear reactors. The website Zero Hedge analysis concludes that "the data is stunning: based on a N, NE and NNE wind direction (where it originates), meaning all coming from Fukushima, with a normal reading in the 80 nGy/h range, the city of Kounosu Naka is at 3,024, Kadobe Naka is at 2,416, Isobe Hitachioota is at 1,213 and many others are in the mid to upper triple digit range! Again, this is based on wind coming out of Fukushima and ultimately headed toward the capital. Indicatively, normal terrestrial plus cosmic gamma radiation is about 80 nGy/h." See
http://www.zerohedge.com/article/gamma-radiation-fukushima-downwind-ibaraki-disclosed-30-times-above-normal

ECM cautions that we do not know whether these sites are using comparable measurements to the EPA site or not, nor even whether West Coast gamma measurements are customarily comparable to East Coast measurements or not, nor whether the higher levels on this map are due to the ongoing nuclear crisis in Japan. However we believe in giving the public all information available. We will be seeking expert comments at the earliest opportunity.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 01:09 | 1074520 snowball777

C'mon...you can go look at the RadNet numbers yourself and see that this is patently false.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 01:21 | 1074530 TruthInSunshine

WTF are you talking about?

I think the whole point is that RadNet, as it's reported by the EPA & Dept of Energy, may just be altering/hiding/misreporting, no?

- I was just informed there was confusion over data reporting station numbers and readings, but that there still are a lot of stations offline.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 08:16 | 1074859 snowball777

You can go look at my response to your post on the other thread and see that the info for East vs West coast was comparable (RI was actually worse than CA) and that the info was readily available. A small percentage of stations being offline in a voluntarily reported network of contributors doesn't justify conspiracy theories.

If you choose not to believe the info provided, that's one thing, but nothing is being arbitrarily withheld or munged.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 00:36 | 1074460 Dr. Porkchop

You know it's bad when even the robots commit suicide.

Of course.. when officials assure you that the nuke plant in your area is safe, ask them if they'll be sending in their sons to shovel debris if it goes wrong.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 01:07 | 1074517 snowball777

They didn't bother to translate Asimov into Japanese?

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 01:11 | 1074527 AAPL_Short

A tribute to Chernobyl:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m4lP-lZcuE

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 01:55 | 1074601 ArsoN

Watched the whole movie. Scariest part is how similar the reaction of international government officials is now to then. "No problem, this will not affect us." Disgusting.

http://www.truth-out.org/article/le-monde-continuing-fallout-from-chernobyl

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 01:59 | 1074605 fuu

Sounds like they have gotten cooling going at #5 and #6.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 02:10 | 1074615 halvord

These reactors were built for the concept of reactor-crawling robots was fashionable. Those robots need wheelchair ramps as well as stairs, special door handles that the robot hands can easily open, charging plugs, etc.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 02:24 | 1074628 luk427

The information on Zero Hedge is second to none. I am always blown away by the topics and depth to wich it is reported. Who needs any other source of mainstreet media after discovering this website. Glad to have it in my favorites. I do feel sorry for the Japenese, they had everything figured out as far as earthquakes go(to the best of their abilities) , but to add a tsunami of this magnitude to the mix is against the odds. Hindsight in any accident is always 20/20. Hopefully the world will learn from this tragic event and use it for the betterment of the planet. For now I will continue to accumulate physical silver and Gold because the force that I fear more than mother nature is the corruption of the federal reserve and the Wall St. banksters.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 10:58 | 1075005 Yes We Can. But...

Holy Rack-a-moley

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 03:55 | 1074688 Daphneisfedup

Removed -Still new at this - wanted to reply to a specific comment

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 04:47 | 1074717 AAPL_Short

Here is Oppenheimer himself, the überengineer, recalling how he was reciting the Hindu Bhagavad Gita when he realized that his atom bomb had worked.

Extremely moving stuff:

“If the radiance of a thousand suns /
were to burst into the sky /
that would be like /
the splendor of the Mighty One
and I now am become Death,
the destroyer of worlds.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x39eRJA1aVU&feature=related

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 06:03 | 1074770 Oligarchs Gone Wild

Why the Japanese Robots called US based IRBT for backup:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PMw023nS48

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 06:55 | 1074806 prophet

Chillbots!

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 07:02 | 1074813 prophet

Seems like a week is about right. From BBC "live feed":

0829: The US Defense Department is preparing to dispatch an expert team trained to operate in areas contaminated with radiation, should the situation deteriorate at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, Yomiuri reports.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 08:24 | 1074868 Spigot

Beta Emitters (potential triggers for gamma survey):

Strontium-90 http://www.epa.gov/rpdweb00/radionuclides/strontium.html#properties
Tritium http://www.epa.gov/rpdweb00/radionuclides/tritium.html#properties

Also, most of the Gamma emitters also emit Beta rays -

The aerosol particals reaching the Western US are micro to nano sized particals which easy will be breathed into the lungs, which will first concentrate most of the damage there. Also, soil contamination in California will be cumulative, and I question agricultural produce being safe if the aerosol is not stopped in Japan. Japan is toast, the US is also going to pay a price here.

Kids need to be protected as much as possible. Use Betadine 1 teaspoon on thin skinned areas daily to saturate the thyroids.

This is a very bad deal. Do not presume that the MSM will do much more than obfuscate the reality.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 09:34 | 1074930 gordengeko

you do realize that a lot of the food you eat is irradiated right?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_irradiation

I'd be just a lil bit more concerned with the kids using cell phones http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phone_radiation_and_health than spoon feeding them betadine to protect their thyroid from something that will do much less harm to them than say living next to a power grid, cell phone tower or giant friggin anything that emmits electromagnetic radiation. just saying

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 14:17 | 1075830 Spigot

Not disputing the threat of electromagnetic radiation, however this is ionizing radiation. The physics are different. Ionizing radiation will kill you alot faster and surer than electromagnetic radiation. I was providing information as to WHY the radiation detectors are detecting beta/gamma rays, which are from decaying isotopes which now are arriving in CONUS. In order words we have nuclear fallout material arriving (as vapor, nano and micro sized particulate matter), some of which has half lives of from 100 to 25,000 years, in other words, a continuing and cumulative threat to health, particularly for the young.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 14:17 | 1075836 Spigot

And BTW you do not ingest betadine, you use it topicaly (paint it on the skin).

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 09:27 | 1074918 Gromit

My God what brave men.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 14:18 | 1075841 Spigot

They will all be dead in a few months to years. They are heros who are sarcificing their lives for their people.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 10:20 | 1074974 Pchelar

In most slavic languages (like Russian), the word "robot" means simply "slave" or "servant". If I remember correctly it was a Czech fellow who first coined the term with regard to mechanical robots. Just because we are living human beings does not exclude us from being robots in the fullest sense of the word. Without detracting anything from the bravery and sacrifice of those working in the futile effort to contain the reactors, they are robots of TEPCO. In a way we are all robots of the industrial economy.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 10:53 | 1075001 Dan Watie

Robots have no reasoning ability and have no heart. They care not to be slaves. What is our excuse? How we openly embrace being slaves! So yes, we are robots. But we have the potential to be so much more. There lies our underlying dissatisfaction. If you are awake you cannot be happy with all the gold in the world if you secretly know someone in the world is suffering. We are all connected. But not in the way the shithead globalists want us to believe. Its about heart, not money.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 13:49 | 1075737 Pseudo Anonym

it was a Czech fellow who first coined the term

the name of the czech fellow was Karel Capek:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karel_%C4%8Capek#Etymology_of_robot

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 10:47 | 1074999 johnQpublic

domo arigato mr. roboto....

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 11:24 | 1075054 sagelike

I guess that's because you're more intelligent that just about everyone else Tyler.

We're confident that had you been on the scene frantically trying to save your ass, save Japan and prevent a nuclear meltdown just hours and days after a massive earthquake and devastating tsunami, and with nothing but adrenaline running through your system on hours if not minutes of sleep, you would have have been clear-headed enough to call in the iRobots within hours after the disaster.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 11:38 | 1075130 Fix It Again Timmy

I'm surprised that a couple of workers haven't been suited up as astronauts doing a spacewalk so they could get a better look at things...

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 12:56 | 1075450 Marc45

I have one of those iRobots. It's called a Roomba. It chokes on my dog's fur pretty easily but maybe it works better on radioactive debris.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 13:24 | 1075611 Odd Ball

iRobot's tracked military robots are tough, lightweight, relatively small, and highly agile. They climb stairs and more importantly traverse rubble quite effectively. Some payloads offer manipulation capabilities. They are also battle-tested, having been deployed by the thousands in Iraq and Afghanistan for counter IED work for many years. Their Achiles heel in this operation is a lack of radiation hardening. The best bet would be to deploy the robots directly to the are where they are seeking imagery and sensor readings. If the mission is to peer into the cooling pools they could potentially deploy from a helicopter, crane, fire ladder, or a steel cable trolley strung from one of the tall towers directly to the upper floor of the reactor building where the pool is located. Getting the imagery as quickly as possible is important since it's unclear how long the electronics will survive the high radiation environment. Improvising lead shielding around the electronics areas should be attempted...

Other companies manufacture specialized nuclear accident robots that are radiation hardened. They are basically formed from thick billets of tungston. The downside of these large rad-hard systems is their larger size, heavier weight, and relative scarcity.

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 18:41 | 1076872 Abitdodgie

They have spy satellites that can see what brand of cigarettes you smoke , they know whats going on

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 14:28 | 1075862 Odd Ball

The Japanese are going to need some serious equipment to deal with this mess. I'm guessing a huge crane might come in handy. They could improvise those large towers sitting right next the reactor buildings into cranes with a few long steel cables. Of, if they prefer, float in a piece of equipment that makes a warship look like a childs toy - you know, the one that raised the sunk south Korean destroyer. (Attempting to post photo.)

Sat, 03/19/2011 - 20:56 | 1077245 rapier

I've worked in containment in a Mark I and they are a crowded mess of piping that is extremly difficult to move about in, before explosions. The top level floor, is far more open, or would be before explosions, when things like overhead cranes may be laying about.

Certainly various kinds of robots and small remote copters can and will be used to assay the situation.

From bioRobot To (Long Overdue) iRobot In 25 Short Years

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