Robots & Computers Can Now Tolerate Intense Radiation; Thanks To Utah Engineers

When the circuits used in designing robots or computers are exposed to intense radiation during space travel or in nuclear power plants, they can not withstand it; the ionizing radiations will practically fry electronic circuits. So, University of Utah engineers set out to develop microscopic mechanical devices that can be used in circuits. These devices were later tested on University of Utah’s research reactor by dipping them in for two hours and found to be working fine.

These new devices are nothing but new logic gates that perform logical operations such as “and” or “not”.



This study is being funded by DARPA for the development of robots to deal with stricken nuclear reactors to reduce human exposure to deadly radiation. Until now,  heavy shielding needed to be used on robots such as those sent to help contain the meltdowns at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant after Japan’s catastrophic 2011 earthquake and tsunami. This development can open new vistas in radiation-proof robots.

Read the detailed report here: Utah University Research Posted in: #Robotics