Remote-control technologies for maintenance in nuclear power plants

Many inspection, maintenance and repair tasks in nuclear power plants must be performed under conditions of a radioactive atmosphere, restricted space and/or underwater, resulting in the great importance attached to remote-control technologies. Toshiba has been actively engaged in the development of in-service inspection systems, maintenance robots, decontamination devices, welding repair machines, and other remote-controlled equipment. A number of these machines have been applied to operating nuclear power plants. This paper describes these systems and machines, including those currently under development. (author)