Researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo), Japan, have announced the development of a wireless 2.4 GHz wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) receiver chip capable of withstanding doses of gamma ray radiation up to 500 kilograys (kGy), similar to the exposure inside the heart of a nuclear reactor.
The Japanese research team behind the new radiation-resistant wireless controller chip said their device will enable the remote control of robots operating in ultra-high-radiation environments too dangerous for human technicians, including the decommissioning of a nuclear reactor.
Decommissioning a Nuclear Reactor Takes at Least 20 Years
According to estimates from the International Atomic Energy Agency, nearly half of the 423 nuclear power reactors currently in operation are expected to enter decommissioning by 2050. This end-of-life process can take up to 20 years and is extremely hazardous.
For example, the removal and proper storage of the reactor’s nuclear material would prove deadly to human technicians regardless of the shielding they were wearing. As a result, the decommissioning process, which aims to make the site completely safe and reusable, involves the use of remotely operated robots that can tolerate the high levels of radiation and extended periods of exposure.
Radiation-resistant robots participated in the cleanup of Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant after its failure. According to the research team, these robots were especially valuable for operations in otherwise inaccessible areas. These successes include sparing human lives that would have otherwise been lost in the hazardous working conditions.
Still, while these robots have proven generally effective, they are currently controlled with wired connections, since conventional wireless technologies like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth can withstand the reactor’s highly radioactive environment. The need to be physically connected to human controllers has limited the number of robots that can operate in a single location and created additional operational challenges, such as cable management and close-quarters navigation.
Chip Allows Multiple Robots to Work Together
According to a statement, when electronic chips are exposed to intense gamma radiation, as they are inside a nuclear reactor, electric charges become trapped in insulating layers within transistors. This excess EM energy can cause a phenomenon called ‘electrical leakage,’ weaken signals, and increase electromagnetic noise, resulting in diminished wireless operations.
To make a wireless receiver that can withstand radiation, the researchers decided they would need to reduce the total number of transistors. This reduced the area where radiation charge can build up and cause damage. The new chip also includes an on-board low-noise amplifier that boosts weak incoming signals and a variable-gain amplifier that adjusts signal strength.
To further improve radiation resistance, the chip includes an onboard radio-frequency (RF) amplifier that prepares the signal for direct conversion to baseband using a signal mixer and a transimpedance amplifier. The team said that this process results in four distinct baseband output channels for digital processing.
Further improvements included replacing the variably gain amplifier with a non-transistor-based inductor that is less sensitive to radiation and replacing the RF amplifier’s radiation-sensitive P-type metal–oxide–semiconductor transistor with a less sensitive inductor.
Finally, the Science Tokyo team increased the size of the remaining transistors on the chip. Because leakage often occurs along transistor edges, this team said replacing many transistors with fewer, larger ones that are “less affected by these edge-related problems” also improved its overall radiation resistance.
Study co-leader, Associate Professor Atsushi Shirane from the Institute of Innovative Research, Laboratory for Future Interdisciplinary Research of Science and Technology, Science Tokyo, said that these changes address the nuclear decommissioning requirements, including tolerance for the extreme gamma-ray radiation from leftover fuel debris.
“Introducing such a wireless system eliminates the need for complex cabling and enables efficient and seamless operation of a large number of robots,” the professor explained.
Stable Communication in Other Extreme Radiation Environments, Including Space
After completing their prototype chip, tests confirmed that its design improvements limited charge trapping, suppressed unwanted leakage currents, and helped the transistor maintain stable performance under high radiation exposure. This included a meager 1.4 decibel drop in signal gain after cumulative exposure to 500 kGy, accompanied by a smaller 1.26 decibel increase.
“Overall, its communication performance remained comparable to that of standard commercial Wi-Fi receivers,” they explained.
As an unexpected benefit, the new radiation-resistant chip’s power consumption decreased slightly by about 2 milliwatts. According to Shirane, these benefits make the chip a perfect tool for robots working directly inside nuclear reactors. However, the researcher also noted that their device could offer a solution to wireless systems operating in similarly challenging radiation environments, including outer space, while reducing the danger to human workers and astronauts.
“By realizing Wi-Fi chips that operate stably even under ultra-high-dose radiation environments, wireless remote operation using robots and drones will be promoted, enabling reductions in worker radiation exposure risk and advances in work sophistication,” Shirane explained.
The study “A 500kGy Radiation-Hardened 2.4GHz Wi-Fi Receiver for Innovative Nuclear Power Plant Decommissioning” was presented at the 2026 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC).
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.