Fukushima: Domestic Robots Failed To Ride To Rescue After Plant Blew

"After the March 11 tsunami slammed into the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant and wrecked three reactors, many people expected the nation's cutting-edge robotic technologies to come to the rescue.

That, however, turned out to be wishful thinking, and the public was left wondering why Japanese robots, such as Honda Motor Co.'s Asimo humanoid, weren't sent to the power plant to assist firefighters and workers trying to bring the crippled reactors under control.

In the early stages of the nuclear crisis, many people actually sent messages to the Asimo Twitter account run by Honda Motor Co., asking why the robot wasn't participating in recovery efforts led by the government and plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co."

Hiroko Nakata reports for the Japan Times January 6, 2012 (Part 5 of 5).

SEE ALSO:

NUCLEAR AWAKENING SERIES

Part 1:"DIY Cesium Scanning Store May Be 'New Normal'" (Japan Times/Jun Hongo)

Part 2: "Fukushima Meltdowns Set Nuclear Energy Debate on Its Ear" (Japan Times/Kazuaki Nagata)

Part 3: "Mothers First To Shed Food-Safety Complacency" (Japan Times/Mizuho Aoki)

Part 4: "Disasters Kick-Started Dormant Volunteer Spirit" (Japan Times/Minoru Matsutani)