Emergency response by robots to Fukushima-Daiichi accident: summary and lessons learned

• Published in: Industrial robot Vol. 39; no. 5; pp. 428 - 435
• Main Authors: Kawatsuma, Shinji, Fukushima, Mineo, Okada, Takashi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bedford Emerald Group Publishing Limited 01-01-2012
• Subjects: Accidents; Automation; Building construction; Buildings; Cameras; Disasters; Earthquakes; Electricity; Electricity distribution; Emergency response; Explosions; Gamma rays; Generators; Laboratories; Neutrons; Nuclear accidents & safety; Nuclear power plants; Nuclear reactors; R&D; Radiation; Reconnaissance; Research & development; Robots; Seismic engineering; Seismic phenomena; Studies; Tsunamis; Japan; USA; Sweden; Nuclear energy industry; Industrial accidents; Japan; Emergency response; Robots
• ISSN: 0143-991X; 1758-5791
• DOI: 10.1108/01439911211249715

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to extract lessons learned from the Fukushima-Daiichi accident, caused by a big earthquake and a huge tsunami, which occurred on 11 March 2011.Design methodology approach - Lessons learned are extracted after summarizing emergency response by robots to the Fukushima-Daiichi accident.Findings - Many lessons had been learned from the experiences on robots' emergency response to the accident; organization and operation scheme, and systemization were major lessons learned.Practical implications - Unmanned constructive heavy machines and robots donated from the USA or imported from Sweden did reconnaissance work and cleaning up of rubble outside of buildings. Quince and JAEA-3 were deployed for reconnaissance inside buildings.Social implications - The Japanese nuclear disaster response robotics developed after Japan Conversion Corporation's critical accident occurred in 1999, could not work when the Fukushima-Daiichi accident occurred on 11 March 2011.Originality value - The paper emphasizes the importance of establishing emergency response schemes when a nuclear disaster occurs.