We use unmanned drones to bomb and kill, can't we use them for this nuclear crisis?

[revolutionnow45]

What am I not getting? Wouldn't this be the perfect time to use such technology?

[cali]

1. huh? how on earth do you think that would work?

[revolutionnow45]

5. dump water

why aren't they airlifting some new generators?

[Warren Stupidity]

12. because that is not what they are designed to do.

drones are lightweight aircraft that do surveillance and attack missions, they are not cargo airplanes capable of airlifting generators or dumping significant quantities of water on anything.

Oh and after you airlift a generator to a radioactive hot zone, some poor slob has to attach the generator.

[phantom power]

2. keep in mind drones are fairly small. they don't do heavy lifting

[Tx4obama]

3. What exactly is it that you'd want the drone to do? n/t

[revolutionnow45]

7. same thing as helicopters but not radiating people

Chinook helicopters carrying red buckets have been lifting off from Kasuminome Air Base, near Sendai.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said the workers, who have been dousing the reactors with seawater on the ground in a frantic effort to stabilise their temperatures, had no choice but to pull back from the most dangerous areas

[Tx4obama]

9. If you attach a big bucket of water to a drone, it would be too heavy to fly. n/t

[jacquelope]

8. Give it hands and feet with opposable thumbs and joints.

Rig up a power glove to control it remotely by wire or wireless.

How hard can that be?

[Cid_B]

25. HA....

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

13. The NEI?

Nuclear Energy Institute

:shrug:

[LiberalEsto]

4. Maybe radioactivity interferes with their operation

I'm not a tech expert but I'm sure there are people on DU who would know.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

6. They are.

#
2019: The US military will also fly one of its Global Hawk unmanned high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft over the site, possibly later on Thursday, to take photographs of the inside the building which houses reactor 4, Japanese government sources have told the Kyodo news agency. Global Hawks are already being used to survey the devastation caused by the earthquake and tsunami.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-12307698

[revolutionnow45]

11. can they do more than take pictures?

nt

[Lone_Star_Dem]

15. No

They're limited to what's within their design capabilities. It will be extremely helpful to get pictures of the containment pool inside #4 though.

[ladjf]

10. Our smallest drones are too small to be of any use. The larger

jet versions are not designed for low level, slow loitering or hovering.

[AndyTiedye]

14. I Was Thinking Robots

Isn't Japan the world leader in robotics?

[DJ13]

18. I dont think a dancing Sony robot is going to be much help

But truth be told, I wondered much the same thing considering Japan's advancements in robotics.

[AndyTiedye]

26. Even the "Toy" Robots Have Onboard Cameras, and Could Conceivably Aim a Fire Hose

Though surely they have something better.

[pokerfan]

16. You can't be serious

Bombing a nuclear reactor? :shrug:

[Chris_Texas]

17. How else can we stop it from exploding? Think of the CHILDREN!

:nuke:

[pokerfan]

22. We had to bomb the plant to save the plant (nt)

[Tx4obama]

20. The op didn't say bomb it. The point was to use the drone to dump water...

which would not work.

[pokerfan]

23. I must have missed that part (nt)

[Tx4obama]

24. See comments #3 and #5 and #7 n/t

[MineralMan]

19. Now I've heard it all. What you're not getting is anything at all.

What would a drone do, exactly, do you think? Uff da! I can't believe I wasted my time reading this.

[pintobean]

21. Why would anybody rec this?

The greatest page isn't for our greatest embarrassments.