single-rb.php

JRM Vol.38 No.1 pp. 175-191
(2026)

Paper:

Development of a Debris Recovery Robot in the Narrow Space Inside the Reactor Building

Seiya Tozaki*1, Riku Miura*2, Eita Iwaki*3, Toma Takei*4, Kazuma Kobayashi*3, Satoshi Mitsui*3, Toshifumi Satake*3, and Naoki Igo*5 ORCID Icon

*1Link-U Technologies Inc.
9F Sumitomo Fudosan Ochanomizu Building, 2-2-3 Sotokanda, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0021, Japan

*2Interstellar Technologies Inc.
149-7 Memu, Taikicho, Hiroo-gun, Hokkaido 089-2113, Japan

*3National Institute of Technology, Asahikawa College
2-1-6 Shunkodai 2-jo, Asahikawa, Hokkaido 071-8142, Japan

*4Hokkaido University
Kita 14, Nishi 9, Kita-ku, Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0814, Japan

*5Tokyo Information Design Professional University
2-7-1 Komatsugawa, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo 132-0034, Japan

Received:
March 19, 2025
Accepted:
November 10, 2025
Published:
February 20, 2026
Keywords:
debris recovery robot, mobile robot, human resources development
Abstract

The decommissioning of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant presents significant challenges, particularly in the inspection of areas that are inaccessible to human workers owing to high radiation levels and structural hazards. To address this, we developed a teleoperated robotic system capable of conducting internal inspections in environments like that found in the primary containment vessel. The effectiveness of the system was evaluated based on its performance at the “9th Decommissioning Creative Robotics Competition.” The system employs a dual-robot configuration comprising a parent robot and smaller child robot. The parent robot utilizes a sub-track system and full-surface crawler mechanism to ensure stable traversal over obstacles. To inspect locations that are accessed using large staircases, the parent robot deploys a crawler-equipped child robot connected by a tether for power, communication, and retrieval. This mechanism allows the child robot to descend for inspection and then be retrieved by the parent robot, enabling effective exploration of otherwise inaccessible areas. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed system could successfully navigate through the X-1 penetration and conduct inspections beneath a staircase with a 65° incline. The robot successfully completed all of the mission objectives, although it did not return to its starting point within the competition time limit. This study developed a robust and cost-effective dual-robot system that provides a practical solution for versatile remote inspections in hazardous environments. The proposed system will contribute to the advancement of decommissioning efforts by offering a reliable method for accessing and investigating high-risk areas. Future work will focus on enhancing the system reliability and adaptability for deployment in real-world nuclear decommissioning operations.

Cite this article as:
S. Tozaki, R. Miura, E. Iwaki, T. Takei, K. Kobayashi, S. Mitsui, T. Satake, and N. Igo, “Development of a Debris Recovery Robot in the Narrow Space Inside the Reactor Building,” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.38 No.1, pp. 175-191, 2026.
Data files:
References
  1. [1] S. Uchida, M. Naitoh, H. Suzuki, H. Okada, and S. Konishi, “Evaluation of accumulated fission products in the contaminated water at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant,” Nuclear Technology, Vol.188, No.3, pp. 252-265, 2014. https://doi.org/10.13182/NT13-152
  2. [2] V. Michal, “Remote operation and robotics technologies in nuclear decommissioning projects,” M. Laraia (Ed.), “Nuclear Decommissioning: Planning, Execution and International Experience,” pp. 346-374, Woodhead Publishing, 2012. https://doi.org/10.1533/9780857095336.2.346
  3. [3] S. Ma, S. Hirose, and H. Yoshinada, “Development of a hyper-redundant multijoint manipulator for maintenance of nuclear reactors,” Advanced Robotics, Vol.9, No.3, pp. 281-300, 1994. https://doi.org/10.1163/156855395X00201
  4. [4] J. A. Silva Ric, G. Endo, S. Hirose, and H. Yamada, “Development of an actuation system based on water jet propulsion for a slim long-reach robot,” ROBOMECH J., Vol.4, No.1, Article No.8, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40648-017-0076-4
  5. [5] S. Kim et al., “Development of tele-operated mobile robot in nuclear power plants,” IFAC Proc. Volumes, Vol.34, No.4, pp. 239-244, 2001. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-6670(17)34302-1
  6. [6] R. Miura et al., “Development of a decommissioning robot with a simple structure capable of traversing steps using two different drive systems,” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.36, No.1, pp. 95-106. 2024. https://doi.org/10.20965/jrm.2024.p0095
  7. [7] N. Okuzumi, K. Matsuzaki, and S. Okada, “Development and application of robotics for decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi NPS and IRID,” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.36, No.1, pp. 9-20, 2024. https://doi.org/10.20965/jrm.2024.p0009
  8. [8] T. Doi, M. Shimaoka, and S. Suzuki, “Creative robot contests for decommissioning as conceived by college of technology or KOSEN educators,” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.34, No.3, pp. 498-508, 2022. https://doi.org/10.20965/jrm.2022.p0498
  9. [9] R. Miyagusuku, Y. Arai, Y. Kakigi, T. Takebayashi, A. Fukushima, and K. Ozaki, “Toward autonomous garbage collection robots in terrains with different elevations,” J. Robot. Mechatron., Vol.32, No.6, pp. 1164-1172, 2020. https://doi.org/10.20965/jrm.2020.p1164
  10. [10] N. J. Baishya, B. Bhattacharya, H. Ogai, and K. Tatsumi, “Analysis and design of a minimalist step climbing robot,” Applied Sciences, Vol.11, No.15, Article No.7044, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11157044
  11. [11] T. Yoshida, K. Nagatani, S. Tadokoro, T. Nishimura, and E. Koyanagi, “Improvements to the rescue robot Quince toward future indoor surveillance missions in the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant,” K. Yoshida and S. Tadokoro (Eds.), “Field and Service Robotics: Results of the 8th International Conference,” pp. 19-32, Springer, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40686-7_2
  12. [12] K. Nagatani et al., “ Emergency response to the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants using mobile rescue robots,” J. of Field Robotics, Vol.30, No.1, pp. 44-63, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1002/rob.21439
  13. [13] T. Kotoku, “Robot challenges for nuclear decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi power station,” Proc. of the Int. Conf. on Advancing the Global Implementation of Decommissioning and Environmental Remediation Programmes, 2016.
  14. [14] K. Nagatani et al., “Emergency response to the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plants using mobile rescue robots,” J. of Field Robotics, Vol.30, No.1, pp. 44-63, 2013. https://doi.org/10.1002/rob.21439
  15. [15] J. Ma et al., “Design, simulation and manufacturing of a tracked robot for nuclear accidents,” 2014 IEEE Int. Conf. on Robotics and Biomimetics, pp. 1828-1833, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1109/ROBIO.2014.7090601
  16. [16] S. Tadokoro (Ed.), “Rescue Robotics: DDT Project on Robots and Systems for Urban Search and Rescue,” Springer, 2009. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-474-4
  17. [17] S. Okada, K. Hirano, R. Kobayashi, and Y. Kometani, “Development and application of robotics for decommissioning of Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant,” Hitachi Review, Vol.69, No.4, pp. 556-563, 2020.
  18. [18] I. Tsitsimpelis et al., “Simultaneous, robot-compatible γ-ray spectroscopy and imaging of an operating nuclear reactor,” IEEE Sensors J., Vol.21, No.4, pp. 5434-5443, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1109/JSEN.2020.3035147
  19. [19] H. A. Yanco and J. L. Drury, “Rescuing interfaces: A multi-year study of human-robot interaction at the AAAI Robot Rescue Competition,” Autonomous Robots, Vol.22, No.4, pp. 333-352, 2007. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10514-006-9016-5
  20. [20] A. Jacoff, E. Messina, and J. Evans, “Performance evaluation of autonomous mobile robots,” Industrial Robot, Vol.29, No.3, pp. 259-267, 2002. https://doi.org/10.1108/01439910210425568

*This site is desgined based on HTML5 and CSS3 for modern browsers, e.g. Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, Opera.

Last updated on Feb. 19, 2026