Delegation from Fukushima Institute for Research, Education and Innovation visit RAICo1

A DELEGATION from Japan visited RAICo’s main facility in Whitehaven as they toured the UK. 

Colleagues from Japan’s Fukushima Institute for Research, Education and Innovation (F-REI) travelled to RAICo1, in Whitehaven, Cumbria. 

Led by F-REI President, Dr Koetsu Yamazaki, the delegation experienced demonstrations of robotics and artificial intelligence solutions designed to tackle complex nuclear challenges.

F-REI was established in 2023 by the Japanese Government to drive the reconstruction and revitalisation of Fukushima following the devastating 2011 earthquake and tsunami, which triggered a major nuclear incident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. 

Reflecting on the visit and emphasising the importance of international collaboration in innovation, Dr Yamazaki (pictured centre in the image above), said: “The visit has stimulated our thoughts because we have been able to see the research and development process taking place. 

“In Japan, we say that hearing 100 times is not as good as seeing once, and we witnessed many demonstrations today that allowed us to understand the objectives. 

“Partnerships are very important. Many institutions are working on innovations; some are focusing on the same areas.  

“If we collaborate, we introduce the potential to save time and money through the power of shared learning.  

“We can then look at how we apply the resulting technologies in the context of our own needs and challenges. That, to me, accelerates the speed of development.” 

Live demonstrations of technology included: 

• Lirob a remotely operated through-wall robotic manipulator arm designed for use in hot cells or hazardous environments that humans cannot access due to high levels of radiation.    

• The Tetherless Autonomous Aquatic Robotic Navigation (TAARN) system, which aims to facilitate fully wireless and autonomous navigation of underwater vehicles in confined spaces, such as spent fuel pools. 

• Robox, a robotic glovebox that has the potential to replace traditional gloveboxes and remove the need for humans manually handle radioactive material. 

Dr Kirsty Hewitson, Director of RAICo, said: “We were very excited to welcome F-REI to RAICo1 and that they were able to see technology demonstrations delivered from across the collaboration. 

“F-REI has a very important mission to drive the reconstruction of Fukushima though scientific innovation, and we would like to further engage with them. 

“There are potential opportunities to collaborate in joint areas of interest linked to research and development, but also in terms of skills and talent and the parallels between the Fukushima province and West Cumbria.” 

As part of their visit to the United Kingdom, the F-REI delegation also visited Sellafield and the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) – two of RAICo’s members. 

The visit to UKAEA’s Culham headquarters was particularly significant, as it coincided with the signing of a memorandum of cooperation (MOC) between F-REI and the UKAEA on joint research in robotics and autonomous systems. 

RAICo welcomes the MOC. Collaboration, whether domestically or internationally, is a fundamental cornerstone of RAICo’s mission, and it was a pleasure to host F-REI at RAICo1.