Snake-shaped robot tested in Fukushima

Jiji Press MINAMISOMA, Fukushima (Jiji Press) — A test for disaster-response robots, including one shaped like a snake, was conducted in Fukushima Prefecture on Friday.

The test took place at a plant opened on Tuesday at the Fukushima Robot Test Field in Minamisoma.

The six-story plant includes tanks, chimneys, valves, ducts and other features from such facilities as an iron mill and a power station.

The snake-shaped robot, developed by Tohoku University, moved across rubble by vibrating its body and climbed up steps by floating through air ejection.

With a camera and a microphone set on its head part, the robot is expected to be used to search for missing people in collapsed buildings.

Another robot, produced by institutions including the University of Aizu, opened and closed valves using its arms and went up stairs.

“It’s important to carry out robot tests at facilities designed to reproduce a power station and other buildings,” Tohoku University Prof. Satoshi Tadokoro, 59, who attended Friday’s test, said, expressing his hope to put disaster-response robots into practical use early.

Fukushima is one of the three prefectures hit hardest by the March 2011 massive earthquake and tsunami.Speech