Asbestos removal robot does job that humans avoid

　New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)  announced that it's asbestos removal robot (photo) being developed with Taisei Corp. is well on its way to unmanned operations. The robot is designed to move up and down inside elevator shafts to conduct asbestos removal at designated sites.

 

  The robot is designed to remove asbestos, a material harmful to human body, in elevator shafts of buildings to be demolished. After the elevators are removed, the robot placed on a gondola moves up and down the elevator shafts to conduct asbestos removal operations.

 

  The robot uses as its body a six-axis articulated robot developed by Fanuc Ltd. A metal brush attached to the end of its arm brushes the wall surface to remove asbestos.  A human operator will control the up and down maneuvering of the robot, but the actual removal of the harmful material is done by the robot by pre-designating work areas.

 

 A mock asbestos removal experiment was scheduled on Feb. 25 in an actual elevator  shaft set up at the machinery center at Seiwa Renewal Works headquarters in Saitama Prefecture, Japan.

 Asbestos removal operation is extremely dangerous and complicated, particularly when operating inside an enclosure such as an elevator shaft. This has caused the operations to be extremely time-consuming when done by human hands. The new robot is expected to achieve both safety and efficiency in asbestos removal operations.

 

 The robot was developed as part of the 2007-2009 "Project for Urgent Development of Basic Technologies to Reduce the Use of Asbestos and Decompose Materials Containing Asbestos" with a budget of 100 million yen. 

 

 (Via Robonable. Press release here.)

Comments

[asbestos removal]

That's amazing and needed. It will help safe lives.

[asbestos removal]

Great idea. That is definitely what is needed.