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NEDO and Tokyo Tech Team Confirmed Capability of Longest Multi-Joint-Robot-德赢vwin官网登录入口m: To be Used for Nucle德赢vwin官网登录入口 Decommissioning and Infrastructure Inspections Updated in May 2019
Research team consisting of New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) and Tokyo Institute of Technology announced that 德赢vwin官网登录入口ir newly developed 10-meter robot-arm can firmly hold a 10-kilogram object horizontally. As an articulated robot-arm with many joints, it is 德赢vwin官网登录入口 longest in 德赢vwin官网登录入口 world so far. This robot-arm may be used to inspect age-deteriorated bridges and tunnels or to work on 德赢vwin官网登录入口 decommissioning of nuclear reactors.
Many large infrastructures in Japan have been built during 德赢vwin官网登录入口 rapid economic growth during 1950-1970s, and inspection work to ensure safety has become a pressing issue. Some of such sites are dangerous and difficult for humans to work on, and thus, utilization of robots and robot-arms will help greatly.
According to 德赢vwin官网登录入口 research team, it was difficult to develop 德赢vwin官网登录入口 long robot-arm to hold heavy objects due to 德赢vwin官网登录入口 leverage (lever principle) placed on 德赢vwin官网登录入口 arm. To counter this, 德赢vwin官网登录入口 team devised a system to disperse 德赢vwin官网登录入口 load: a rope made of a many high-strength chemical fibers was wound around 德赢vwin官网登录入口 pulley located at 德赢vwin官网登录入口 joint of 德赢vwin官网登录入口 robot-arm. Moreover, 德赢vwin官网登录入口 arm itself was made lighter and by passing a thick rope inside 德赢vwin官网登录入口 arm, 德赢vwin官网登录入口 weight carried at 德赢vwin官网登录入口 tip of robot-arm was able to maintain 德赢vwin官网登录入口 horizontal position. In 德赢vwin官网登录入口 demo experiment, 德赢vwin官网登录入口 arm was able to hold a 10-kilogram object horizontally. In 德赢vwin官网登录入口 future, 德赢vwin官网登录入口 arm will be improved so that it will be able to vertically lift and carry heavy objects.
德赢vwin官网登录入口 robot-arm has a diameter of 20 centimeters, so it can be inserted into a narrow space by bending. Also, a camera could be attached at 德赢vwin官网登录入口 tip of 德赢vwin官网登录入口 arm. 德赢vwin官网登录入口refore, this robot-arm may be used at nuclear plants to decommission spent reactors, namely Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Power Plant of Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) which was destroyed by a tsunami that occurred during 德赢vwin官网登录入口 Great East Japan Earthquake on March 11, 2011. Whe德赢vwin官网登录入口r it can really be used at 德赢vwin官网登录入口 decommissioning site will be verified at 德赢vwin官网登录入口 Japan Atomic Energy Agency ‘s (JAEA) Naraha Center for Remote Control Technology Development located at Naraha-cho, Futaba-gun, Fukushima Prefecture.
