After 13 years since the Fukushima disaster, TEPCO is finally close to retrieving melted fuel from the damaged nuclear plant using a specially designed robotic device. This comes after years of delays, obstacles, and setbacks in the extraction process. The robot arm, developed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and other organizations, is 22 meters long, weighs 4.6 tons, and can navigate through small openings to grab fuel debris. The process involves meticulous planning and precision to avoid further contamination. While challenges persist, TEPCO remains hopeful that analyzing the fuel debris will significantly aid in the future decommissioning of Fukushima Dai-ichi.
https://spectrum.ieee.org/fukushima-reactor