Finally, They Will Use Robots
I’ve been wondering why the Japanese haven’t been using robots to check out the reactors, and they are about to start according to CNN: U.S. robots aid Japanese relief efforts
(CNN) — As Japan’s disaster evolves, so too are the measures taken to mitigate the chaos.
One such initiative comes from U.S. military contractor iRobot, which will help Japan’s army incorporate robots into their recovery efforts. The company joins at least two Japanese robotics teams on the ground in the quake- and tsunami-ravaged country, one of which operates an 8-meter-long, snakelike robot with a camera.
iRobot, based in Bedford, Massachusetts, is donating four ground-based models to the Japan relief effort: two PackBots and two Warriors.
Japan’s robots are apparently all tied up with personal appearance commitments or something, so they brought in some iRobot mil-bots. Japan apparently doesn’t have the general purpose robots that are used by bomb squads in the US and by the US military.
I’m in a time warp about Japan, because I haven’t been there in decades, but if you belief all of the hype about how advanced things are, you apparently miss the fine print about “in a limited number of areas”.
