China unveils first nuclear detection robot
Earlier this month, China unveiled its first unmanned remotely operated robot that can help emergency responders operate in areas that have been contaminated with radiation, poisonous gases, or other dangerous chemical substances; the robot is outfitted with a slew of sensors that allow it to take samples, measure radiation levels, and analyze chemical and biological substances; the robot is particularly suited to operating in highly radioactive environments as it is equipped with a camera that is resistant to radiation and a nuclear detector that measures the amount of radiation in an area and draws a graph to help workers find the source of radiation
Earlier this month, China unveiled its first unmanned remotely operated robot that can help emergency responders operate in areas that have been contaminated with radiation, poisonous gases, or other dangerous chemical substances.
The robot is compact weighing in at a little over sixty pounds and stands a little under three feet tall.
To help emergency workers, the robot is outfitted with an array of sensors that allow it to take samples, measure radiation levels, and analyze chemical and biological substances.
The robot is particularly suited to operating in highly radioactive environments as it is equipped with a camera that is resistant to radiation and sturdy armor.
According to Song Ai’guo, the robot’s lead developer, the robot normally has a range of five kilometers, or 3 miles, “but in areas with high interference that may limit the robot’s functions, you can keep control within a range of 1 kilometer.”
It is also equipped with a nuclear detector that measures the amount of radiation in an area and draws a graph to help workers find the source of radiation. Once the leak is identified, the robot can use its mechanical arm to pick up the radioactive material and store it in a thick lead box or tighten any loose valves that it finds.
The remote controlled detection device was designed by Song and his team of researchers at Southeast University’s School of Instrument Science and Engineering.
Song, the president of the Instrument Science and Engineering School, first began work on remote controlled robots in 2004 and the latest robot is their fifth generation model.
