New 72-foot robot arm to clear nuclear debris at Fukushima plant

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings (TEPCO) has introduced a new 22-meter (72-foot) robotic arm designed to retrieve highly radioactive fuel debris from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, nearly 15 years after the 2011 disaster. Developed by the International Research Institute for Nuclear Decommissioning since 2017, this remotely operated arm is equipped with a camera and interchangeable tools, including a brush-like device to sweep and collect molten fuel fragments. Unlike earlier, more limited devices that retrieved only tiny debris samples, the new arm can access a wider area inside the damaged reactor containment vessel, enhancing the efficiency and scope of debris collection efforts. A successful demonstration using simulated debris took place in Naraha town, Fukushima Prefecture. The upcoming third trial retrieval will focus on the No. 2 reactor, one of three that experienced core meltdowns in 2011. TEPCO aims to begin installing the robotic arm next month and start the trial this autumn, hoping to gather more substantial