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Liberaware IBIS drone
Chiba-based industrial drone developer Liberaware recently announced that their flagship Ibis drone, designed for industrial survey and inspection in severely space-limited environments, was used to survey the Fukushima nuclear disaster site earlier this yr. These previously unexplored areas of the disaster site include the highest portion of the Primary Containment Vessel, where much of probably the most radioactive nuclear fuel waste is stored. While previous operations have been focused on the lower portion, this was the primary effort because the 2011 earthquake to achieve access to the upper segment of the PCV, where radioactivity makes human inspection not possible and the narrow spaces are too confined for many traditional surveying UAVs.
Due to complex topography of the reactor site, including an uneven floor and multiple levels, the Ibis was chosen over ground-based inspection equivalents. Measuring just 20 cm square and with an ultra-high sensitivity camera supported by a built-in LED lighting system, the Ibis accessed the narrow seal area and confirmed the existence of some icicle or stalactite-like deposits near the principal control mechanism, in addition to the widely good condition of the remaining concrete.
Liberaware CEO, Hong Gyu-Min, said, “My first encounter with drones was 11 years ago, once I participated as a researcher in a project commissioned by the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy to Chiba University. In that project, we took on the mission of developing a drone that might fly autonomously contained in the reactor constructing after the accident on the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. We faced many challenges while battling the bounds of technology, however the project was accomplished with an indication experiment. Now, after 11 years, I even have the chance to tackle that mission again. This time, as a member of Liberaware, I feel truly joyful to have been able to appreciate a dream that I had been unable to realize previously and contribute to society. I’m also truly honored to have had this chance. At Liberaware, we aim to contribute to society by developing products which might be more high-performance and easier to make use of.”
More information on the project, in addition to Liberaware, is on the market here (in Japanese)
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