@gizmag @gehnuclear GE atomic swimmer “robot” keeps tabs on nuclear reactors
gizmag.com has an interesting article about the GE Hitachi Nuclear Reactor inspection device (nuclear.gepower.com). The “Stinger” is used for inspecting the interiors of nuclear reactors with remote operators and being much less invasive, minimizing the impact to refueling operations. I’m surprised that something like this hasn’t been in use for 50 years or more.
Video Here: brightcove.com
The reason why I’m blogging about the Stinger is because Gizmag calls it a “robot” and, anybody that has been in one of my workshops, would know that a “robot” is differentiated from a “machine” by two characteristics:
A robot can be used for multiple tasks whereas a machine can only perform one.
A robot uses sensors to determine what would be the correct course of action.
The reason why I bring these points up is because I didn’t feel like the Stinger meets either of these requirements to be called a “robot”. What is interesting is that if you look at the GEnuclear website and video, you will see that the “Stinger” is referred to as a “tool” and not a “robot”, like Gizmag does.