Remote-controlled diggers, bulldozers and dump trucks have begun removing radioactive rubble from near the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Remote-controlled diggers, bulldozers and dump trucks have begun removing radioactive rubble from near the stricken Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant.
Workers are using wireless controls and video footage transmitted to computer screens to guide heavy machinery from a control room hundreds of meters away.
Three contractors--Taisei Corp., Kajima Corp., and Shimizu Corp.--began the operation on April 6 at the request of Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), which runs the plant.
Remote-controlled machinery has been used after other disasters, such as mudslides and volcano eruptions, to avoid exposing workers to secondary dangers.
But this is the first time the technology has been used in a situation in which there are high levels of radiation in the environment. There is concern that the machinery will be damaged, one source said.
There are large amounts of debris in the area near the stricken reactor. It is unclear when the clearance operation will be completed.