Within days of the earthquake and tsunami that severely damaged Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the Japanese government were in talks with equipment manufacturers about how their specialized machines could lend a hand. Cargo planes airlifted huge concrete pumps to water-cool the reactors, and a robotics manufacturer known primarily as a defense contractor stepped forward with an unusual proposal.
“We had contacted TEPCO, and after a demonstration of our equipment they chose to deploy it to the site,” says Ed Godere, senior vice president, unmanned systems, QinetiQ North America, Reston, Va. QinetiQ manufactures compact, remotely operated robots for the military, bomb squads and first responders. The firm makes a Bobcat loader conversion kit that allows for total remote operation. “There is a large amount of debris from the hydrogen explosion and the tsunami. [The debris] may be contaminated. These machines will be used for site cleanup,” said Godere. The kit sells for $50,000 to $80,000, depending on the options.