Snake-like robot unveiled for Fukushima debris removal

Tokyo: A 22 meter robot arm will help remove a third sample of radioactive debris from inside Japan s stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator s...

Tokyo: A 22-meter robot arm will help remove a third sample of radioactive debris from inside Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant, its operator said Thursday, as it unveiled the snake-like device.

Dangerously high radiation levels make removing melted fuel and other debris from the plant hit by a huge tsunami in 2011 the most daunting challenge in the decades-long decommissioning project.

Around 880 tons of hazardous material remain inside the power station, the site of one of the world's worst nuclear accidents after a tsunami was triggered by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake.

A four-minute video released on Wednesday by plant operator TEPCO showed a snake-like robot arm -- measuring 22 meters and weighing about 4.6 tons -- moving through small tunnel-like passages and inspecting complex structures within a confined space.

The tip of a robotic arm demonstrates the removal of melted nuclear fuel debris from the No. 2 reactor during a simulation. (Photo by Japan Pool / JIJI Press / AFP)