The first in a five part series…
No.1 – X-box controlled robots restore tsunami-struck nuclear plant
Recently British military engineers have been using X-box game controllers to direct robots in Japan.
It sounds like something from a science fiction comic book but QinetiQ’s specialist robots have been part of the clean-up effort at the Fukushima nuclear plant after the earthquake and tsunami of March 2011.
The defence group has two sets of robots working to clear rubble and restore the damaged area.
Two Talon robots, usually used in war zones to clear explosive devices, and two Dragon Runner robots, which are used to gain access to small hazardous spaces, are clearing debris alongside several converted Bobcat diggers.
Experts from the UK company have been training staff at the Tokyo Electrical Power Company to navigate and operate the robots using game pads, allowing them to stay safely away from the nuclear danger zone.
However, since The Matrix came out robots are swiftly becoming de rigueur, so, for something even more unusual, let’s talk about the birds and the bees in part two…
