European Robotics Hackathon' competitionRobots prove themselves in the nuclear power plant
Radioactive material can escape in the event of a nuclear incident. If the radiation exposure is high, robots are the best way to secure the material. At the end of June 2017, eleven self-constructed robots took on this task at the 'European Robotics Hackathon' - under real-life conditions.
... Dr. Frank E. Schneider, makes it clear that the focus of the event is not on the competition, but on working on a highly topical task. For example, the first attempt to examine the inside of the destroyed reactor at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan had to be aborted in February 2017. The reason: the high radiation had destroyed the camera of the robot used. In Europe, too, nuclear waste is pressing to be lifted and disposed of properly. Ultimately, the risk of an accident cannot be completely ruled out in any nuclear power plant. 'EnRicH' is intended to prepare for these operations and the next emergency. After all, the measures required in the event of a disaster can only be carried out by robots. The fact that there are good approaches to this was demonstrated ...