this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2024
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How radioactive is the robot afterwards?
That kinda depends on exactly what it is removed and how. Being exposed to radiation doesn't make you radioactive. Ingesting radioactive particles will kinda make you radioactive until those particles reach their end of life and fission. I would be surprised if the robot is actually radioactive once it is done, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to find out that the structural integrity of the robot has been compromised due to exposure to radiation.
Source: former Navy Nuclear Power Program Electronics Technician Instructor.
Good question
Depends heavily on the kind (and intensity) of radiation. Beta (electron/positron) and gamma (photon) generally won't, but neutron and alpha can. Many of the atoms that become radioactive will rapidly decay, and that's one of the mechanisms behind the impact to structural integrity.