Where is all our neat tech in this nuclear crisis?

[arendt]

After a week, the best we can come up with is water cannons and rushed water drops by helicopter pilots in fear of their lives?

What about robotics? I mean, we can kill folks in Pakistan by remote control from Kansas. We have these "cool" :sarcasm: Big Dog robots (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W1czBcnX1Ww), that could easily carry a fire hose and not worry about milli-sieverts.

ON EDIT: The Japanese have robots that walk and play pianos. They are total geeks.

Where is all the Nuclear-Biological-Chemical (NBC) warfare gear that we blew all that money on back in the Cold War? We have mini-subs that go to the BP disaster at 5,000 feet; but we don't have a remote controlled fire truck?


Just askin'.

I haven't got much more to say.

We are either faced with a total lack of imagination by the powers that be, or the tacit admission that all that techno-crap was a worthless boondoggle, or the unspeakable truth that we only design tech stuff to kill people and can't adapt it to save people.

Take your pick. Its all pathetic.

[Night Crawler]

1. What, you think maybe there's an App for that?

It's not a video game over there, it's reality.

[arendt]

2. I'm saying the tech is there. Its worth a try.

So, in a crisis, you go back to the Stone Age? Its not like what they are doing is working so well. WTF is wrong with TRYING robotics. Its not like any human lives will be put at risk.

[snagglepuss]

3. I am absolutely stunned there is no robotic fire equipment

designed for this situation or remote controlled helicopters that could hover above a nulear disaster like this.

[Akoto]

5. Feeling much the same.

Japan is rather cutting edge when it comes to robotics. One would think they'd have some designed to enter hazardous areas. Probably will after this. We can't go into that plant, but the robot could, maybe to carry in equipment or lines to supply water. I think there would still be a need for humans to perform some tasks, but perhaps not as many.

[cilla4progress]

6. I know -

I too have been thinking about this for a couple days. 1) There should already be developed robots to deal with potential nuclear disasters such as this; and/or 2) couldn't something be retrofitted, under the circumstances?

Mind-boggling and sad.

[StarsInHerHair]

13. me too

nt

[grahamhgreen]

4. The japanese have great robots, like asimo

[Romulox]

9. This fellow?

Worthless...

[arendt]

12. Too polite. Try this link...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sckCuYiucXo&feature=related

[originalpckelly]

7. It's not like you can't use robots to do shit like this.

One of the first major uses of robots was to explore the TMI accident. And that was a while back, too.

[arendt]

8. I forgot that fact. How telling. Too much Charlie Sheen I guess. n/t

[Romulox]

10. This accident has exposed the frivolousness of so many of these robot projects...

WTF is this good for?

[Codeine]

11. Technological testbed.

They learn a lot about robotics building those goofy little dudes.

[Romulox]

14. For places in which it is *too dangerous* for a man to trumpet?

:eyes:

[SolutionisSolidarity]

18. That robot is capable of handling complicated controls designed for humans.

This little guy obviously isn't designed for emergency response, but it's descendants might prove really useful some day.

[Romulox]

22. It is worthless in the instant scenario. nt

[neverforget]

15. We could fly drones over the reactors to look into them

since the radiation is so high. Other than that.....:shrug:

[Safetykitten]

16. We got firehoses. Oh, and big buckets attached to flying machines.

[Wednesdays]

17. There's no monetary profit in saving people's lives, silly.

:spank:

Plenty of profit killing people, though.

[Poll_Blind]

19. No, No! THE RULES SAY you have to fight these sorts of problems like it's 1950.

Otherwise no points awarded, apparently.

PB

[jwirr]

20. As in the BP spill the tech is oriented around getting the project done

without much thought about what to do if things go wrong. We seem to think that we do not need emergency plans. I suspect that there are a lot of things in our future that we are going to wait until the crisis is full blown before we start thinking seriously about what to do about it. Things like oil depletion, food shortages, water shortages, climate change, etc.

[napoleon_in_rags]

21. You've obviously never owned an iRobot vacuum cleaner.

Humans respond to uncertain / unprecedented situations better than bots. Bots do okay on vastly precedented monotonous tasks that have been done millions of times before, like assembly line tasks and killing people. :(

[SpoonFed]

23. Japanese emergency robots? I have one right here...

It is one of those amazing Japanese waiter robots and it is pouring me a drink right now!
By the way, it's the nuclear holocaust crisis model of the robot, it's automatically
pouring me double whiskeys when I ask for a glass of water! Super cool!

[Cerridwen]

24. Blowing up civilians and children. What's your point?

It's just business.

The money is in the MIC not the health and human services.

Geez. You new here? /sarcasm

[kenny blankenship]

25. We put all our money in miniature robotic drones that fly sideways and upside down like insects

heavy lifting is so 20th century, and so obvious. We wanted the ability to send surveillance cameras anywhere undetected. Sorry.

[upi402]

26. Too many cutesy robots

The equipment/machine grade robots replace workers and shooters.

[AndyTiedye]

27. If Ever There Were a Place that Cried Out for Robots, This Is It!

I think the Japanese are way ahead of us (and everybody else) in robotics.

While I have the greatest of gratitude and respect for the workers who are sacrificing their lives trying to get these reactors under control, their sacrifice should not be necessary!