Telestar V Robot Scientists Aim To Help at Fukishima

Telesar V is a humanoid robot that is operated telerobotically.  The robot operator sees, feels and hears all of the things that the robot — named Telesar V — does. Now the robot scientists behind the project are working towards making the robot functional in hostile environments.  Spurred on by the Fukishima nuclear disaster, and the lack of available Japanese robotics that could actually work in the radioactive environment, Telesar V's developers, Sho Kamuro and Susumu Tachi recently voiced their desire for the robot to work in such conditions.

The operator wears thin gloves lined with semiconductors and tiny motors that relay the texture and heat of whatever the robot is touching. The “eyes” and “ears” on the robot’s anthropomorphic head aren’t just there to look cute, either — they’re actually cameras and microphones that feed into the head-mounted display, allowing the operator to experience the world as the robot.

Professor Susumu Tachi, who specialises in engineering and virtual reality at Keio University's Graduate School of Media Design, said systems attached to the operator's headgear, vest and gloves send detailed instructions to the robot, which then mimics the user's every move.

At the same time, an array of sensors on the android relays a stream of information which is converted into sensations for the user.

"Its important to make robots that can work in a radioactive environment, and that's what we are aiming at." stated Tachi.


Japan's famously advanced robot technology was found wanting during the crisis at Fukushima, where foreign expertise had to be called on for the machines that went inside reactor buildings as nuclear meltdowns began.

Tachi said a "safety myth" had grown up around atomic technology, preventing research on the kind of machines that could help in the wake of a disaster.

But he said his kind of robot technology could help with the long and difficult task of decommissioning reactors at Fukushima -- a process that could take three decades.

A remote-controlled android that allows its user to experience what is happening far away may have more than just industrial applications, he added.
"This could be used to talk with your grandpa or grandma living in a remote place and deepen communications," he said.

Another possible use, according to Tachi: “This could be used to talk with your grandpa or grandma living in a remote place and deepen communications.”