Miscellaneous

Mechanical engineers at the University of California, San Diego invented a robot designed to scoot along utility lines, searching for damage and other problems that require repairs. Made of off-the-shelf electronics and plastic parts printed on an inexpensive 3D printer, the SkySweeper prototype could be scaled up for less than $1,000, making it significantly more economical than the two models of robots currently used to inspect power lines.

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See SIR in action.
The prototype SIR, a new generation for ship inspection was developed at ETH Zurich. An interdisciplinary student team with mechanical and electrical engineers from ETH Zurich and industrial designers from ZhdK Zurich developed the robot from September 12 - June 13.

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successfully tested my pipe inspection robot..

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The inspection of power lines is critical to maintaining the integrity of the distribution and transmission grid. Currently, inspection is carried out by a team of workers on the line or by helicopter patrols. These methods are labour-intensive, dangerous and expensive.

The focus of this project is to develop an autonomous robot which is capable of inspecting power lines. This removes humans from the dangerous scenario and instead lets them control the robot from a safe position on the ground. Alternatively, the robot autonomously inspects the lines and the data can be analysed once the robot has completed its inspections.

A prototype version of the robot was developed which confirmed key aspects of the project such as trajectory generation/optimisation, nonlinear (feedback) control design, electronics and software, and the mechanical design.

Developed by:
Javaad Patel & Prof. Edward Boje
University of Cape Town, Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

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Scientists in Singapore have created a building inspection robot that is said to be more objective and thorough than their human counterpart, while getting the job done in half the time. Roselle Chen reports.

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AT&T is using drones to shorten a four day stadium inspection into a four hour process.

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The Train Inspection Monorail (TIM) is equipped with a camera and several measurement technologies to monitor in real-time the LHC tunnel.

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The NASA Langley Research Center is using a collaborative UR10 robot with a FLIR infrared inspection system and software from Universal Robots+ partner RoboDK to simulate and program the inspection defects in fuselages. With the robotic system, a single operator can oversee the inspection while the robot follows a pre-programmed path to move the inspection head into precise locations. The robot then holds the camera firmly in position while the operator retrieves the temperature data that reveals any structural or material defects.

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