Not quite accurate, but people have asked why more robots weren’t being used to help shut down the damaged reactors. The company that makes Roombas got a squib in the local news:
BEDFORD (CBS) — The Bedford, Mass. company i-Robot is about to be on the frontlines of Japan‘s nuclear crisis.
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Japanese officials asked for help from the company and -iRobot is sending two “Warriors” and two “Packbots.” Together they’re worth about $750,000. Six volunteers will also go over to help train people how to use the robots.
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Exactly how the robots will be used hasn’t been determined yet, but company officials say they’re ready for anything. The “Packbot” comes with a hazmat package and can detect chemical, biological and radiological elements.
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The “Warrior” is for areas that are tough to get to, like rugged terrain and through rubble, even up stairs.
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“One of the main purposes of these robots is to save lives,” said Alex Wong, a software engineer at the company. “Over the last couple of days we’ve heard of humans going into the nuclear reactor area with lots of radiation.”…
Video clip at the link, if you’re curious.
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