Fukushima Daiichi Groundwater Radiation Spikes, Robot Aid Offered

Groundwater Near Fukushima Daiichi Has 10,000 Times Legal Radiation Level

The groundwater near the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant has 10,000 times the legal amount of radiation, and the seawater near the plant has over 4,000 times the legal amount of radiation.

Tepco acknowledged that the radiation levels areound Fukushima Daiichi were "extremely high", but that is not exactly news. The headline-maker is just how much radiation is present outside the containment vessels of the stricken reactors. Beef from nearby Tenei tested above the legal limit of 500 bequerels, but new samples must be taken to be sure that the beef is legally unsafe.

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Monirobo: Robot to Assist at Fukushima Daiichi

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uploaded by Jordan Yerman

US, France, Germany Offer Robotic Assistance

Germany, France and the United States have offered some of their own robots to help in the containment of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi reactors. Germany is offering remote-controlled manipulator vehicles. The US is offering "radiation-hardened robotics"; the main drawback of using robots in a nuclear emergency is that radiation can destroy their control mechanisms.

The other factor is compatibility: can the robots fit into the spaces where they can do the most good?