Fusion Reactor Remote-Operation System Test Platform Successfully Developed

Fusion Reactor Remote-Operation System test platform announced on September 15, 2025.

Quick take: China’s CRAFT (Kuafu 夸父) facility in Hefei delivered a major engineering milestone for remote maintenance of fusion reactors.

What happened — the milestone in plain terms

The Fusion Reactor Main-Plant Key Systems Integrated Research Facility (CRAFT, also known as “Kuafu” Kuāfù 夸父) passed expert review and acceptance for its remote-operation system test platform on September 15, 2025.

The facility is led by the Institute of Plasma Physics, Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences (Zhongguo Kexueyuan Hefei Wuzhi Kexue Yanjiuyuan Denglizi tǐ Wùlǐ Yánjiūsuǒ 中国科学院合肥物质科学研究院等离子体物理研究所).

The platform targets core maintenance technologies for fusion reactors using a combination of ultra-high and ultra-low temperatures, ultra-high vacuum, and ultra-strong magnetic fields.

The full CRAFT facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2025 and will be one of the most parameter-extreme and functionally complete research platforms in the international fusion community.

Key technical specs — industry-leading performance

• Blanket-maintenance robot handles a payload of 60 tons with circumferential transfer accuracy of ±3.1 millimeters and vertical hoisting accuracy of ±3.8 millimeters.
• Heavy-load manipulator arm carries 2.5 tons.
• Dexterous dual-arm end-effector achieves repeat positioning accuracy of ±0.01 millimeter.
• Together, these parameters place the system among the top tier of remote-operation platforms in fusion research worldwide.

Why this matters — the problem the platform solves

During fusion operation, core components like the blanket and divertor plates face extreme combined conditions.

Those conditions include high thermal loads, strong magnetic fields, and neutron irradiation.

Damage and wear are inevitable under those stresses.

That makes remote robotic maintenance essential for safe, reliable operation.

Industrial robots typically cannot meet the combined needs of:

• radiation tolerance,
• ultra-high load capacity,
• high precision, and
• flexible operation in confined, magnetized spaces.

The CRAFT remote-operation test platform is designed specifically for high-precision maintenance and inspection of very large components in high-radiation, confined spaces.

Engineering breakthroughs and research focus

The project team carried out targeted R&D across materials, structural design, sensing, control, and reliability.

Associate researcher Pan Hongtao (Pan Hóngtāo 潘洪涛) said the team resolved the contradiction between deformation-prone large robot structures and the high-reliability, high-precision needs of fusion-core maintenance.

For the first time internationally, the team validated the engineering feasibility of rapid, high-precision replacement of large blanket modules.

They also achieved front-face maintenance validation for divertor target plates.

Those validations shorten inspection and repair cycles and improve reactor operation efficiency.

• Rapid, high-precision replacement of large blanket modules
• Front-face maintenance for divertor target plates

Where this fits globally — links to ITER, BEST, CFEDR and commercialization

The technologies are positioned to support domestic next-generation devices such as BEST and CFEDR, and international projects like ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, Guójì Rèhé Jùbiàn Shíyàn Duī 国际热核聚变实验堆).

The platform provides an engineering validation foundation that helps bridge lab-scale fusion experiments and commercial-scale operation.

Potential cross-industry applications include:

• nuclear power maintenance,
• aerospace,
• heavy machinery, and
• emergency rescue.

That indicates both high industrialization potential and significant social value.

• Supports next-generation domestic fusion devices (BEST, CFEDR)
• Contributes to international fusion projects (ITER)
• Cross-industry applications: Nuclear power maintenance, Aerospace, Heavy machinery, Emergency rescue

Implications for investors, founders, and tech teams

If you’re an investor, this reduces a class of technical risk in next-gen fusion hardware.

If you’re a founder in robotics or controls, the platform suggests product opportunities in radiation-hardened actuators, ultra-precise sensing, and reliability-focused control stacks.

If you’re an engineer, the project demonstrates integrated-system validation is critical to move from component R&D to deployable fusion support systems.

Timeline and next steps

Field tests and verification show the platform already meets the stated precision and load benchmarks.

The full CRAFT facility is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.

Once fully online, the platform will be available as a core engineering validation tool for domestic and international fusion projects.

Bottom line

This milestone advances the practical engineering of robotic maintenance for fusion reactors.

It reduces technology risk for fusion operation and supports commercialization pathways.

The CRAFT remote-operation system is a clear signal that scalable, high-precision maintenance for fusion cores is moving from R&D toward repeatable engineering implementation.

Fusion Reactor Remote-Operation System now stands as a validated platform with real-world specs and cross-sector applications.

References

• Fusion reactor remote operation system test platform developed successfully – Science and Technology Daily
• 聚变堆遥操作系统测试平台研制成功 – 东方财富
• Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences – Chinese Academy of Sciences (Hefei Institutes)