The state-of-arts and key technologies for telerobotics in nuclear applications

Nuclear energy has always been considered as clean and efficient, so it is emphasized by each country. But in case of an accident, the damage is enormous, far-reaching and long-lasting. The lessons of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents are tremendous. Using robots instead of people to work in the nuclear environment, including the equipment maintenance under normal conditions, and the emergency rescue in accidents, has become a consensus among all countries. In this paper, we first analyze the functional requirements and technical needs of nuclear robots in different stages of the nuclear power plan, i.e. the normal operation, decommissioning, and accident rescue, et al. Then, the practical applications of nuclear robots are summarized from the conventional operation and emergency disposal of Fukushima accidents. Finally, the key technologies of future tele-robots under nuclear environment are presented.