Unmanned Air Vehicles

It's been 10 days since the big earthquake/tsunami in Japan and the following problems at the nuclear power-plant. Things seem to be improving now, and the reactors are slowly getting under control. The biggest trouble with the reactors was overheating, and the initial efforts in cooling the reactors down involved dousing them by seawater via aerial vehicles; i.e. helicopters. However this was not as easily done as it sounds because of the high radiation levels around the power-plant. The helicopter needed to be right above the power-plant in order to drop seawater for cooling, but this meant the crew had to be exposed to high radiation levels. In fact the mission was aborted a few times because of the dangerously high radiation levels. But then if the reactors were not cooled down the risk of a bigger radiation leak was there.

In short, people had to get to the reactor in order to tame it but then they could not get there because it was dangerous. Kind of a catch 22 situation. A lot of people who knew this situation must have thought what I have; what about robots? what about UAVs? Japan is famous for all the cool robots; bipedal, lifelike, violin playing, etc. I always had the impression that long-range, remotely controlled, high precision robots were available for entering dangerous areas like Fukushima power-plant and carrying out the tasks we do not want. I guess I was wrong. Even if we forego the high-precision side of things how hard would it be to have a large robot that can function as an unmanned fire-truck? 

  US military robots. 

Photo by U.S. federal government.

On the other hand, it seems possible to produce robots that can carry heavy artillery to rain bullets and bombs on terrorists of various kinds, but not water? But then again, what about UAVs? US and Israel has loads of UAVs that can destroy a village without any problem, why not carry water? Either the Japanese government and Tepco was very stupid about not making use of robots and drones or more likely there are none that would have been useful. It's simply sad to see the technological priorities of our time.

   "Reaper" - UAVs are good at destroying. 

Photo by U.S. federal government.

If Japan could have used robots and UAVs , some individuals would have been spared the high doses of radiation hits they had to receive. Also, there may not have been a reason to have the heroic Fukushima 50, and this whole situation with the nuclear plant might have been under control much quicker.

"More than 40 people were killed in Pakistan last week in a US drone attack..." 
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-12784129

Could this technology been altered to save more than 40 people?