Robotic Search and Rescue through In-Pipe Movement

So far, we have been engaged in the research and development of various kinds of robots that could be applied to in-pipe inspections that existing methods (screw-drive type, parallel multi-modular type, and articulated wheeled type) cannot perform. In this chapter, we categorized each in-pipe inspection robot depending on its configuration and structure, which includes the design of the propulsive mechanism, steering mechanism, stretching mechanism, and the locations of the wheel and joint axes. On the basis of this classification and from a developer’s point of view, we also discussed the various kinds of robots that we have developed, along with their advantages and disadvantages

COCrIP: Compliant OmniCrawler In-pipeline Robot

This paper presents a modular in-pipeline climbing robot with a novel compliant foldable OmniCrawler mechanism. The circular cross-section of the OmniCrawler module enables a holonomic motion to facilitate the alignment of the robot in the direction of bends. Additionally, the crawler mechanism provides a fair amount of traction, even on slippery surfaces. These advantages of crawler modules have been further supplemented by incorporating active compliance in the module itself which helps to negotiate sharp bends in small diameter pipes. The robot has a series of 3 such compliant foldable modules interconnected by the links via passive joints. For the desirable pipe diameter and curvature of the bends, the spring stiffness value for each passive joint is determined by formulating a constrained optimization problem using the quasi-static model of the robot. Moreover, a minimum friction coefficient value between the module-pipe surface which can be vertically climbed by the robot without slipping is estimated. The numerical simulation results have further been validated by experiments on real robot prototype

Unmanned Robotic Systems and Applications

This book presents recent studies of unmanned robotic systems and their applications. With its five chapters, the book brings together important contributions from renowned international researchers. Unmanned autonomous robots are ideal candidates for applications such as rescue missions, especially in areas that are difficult to access. Swarm robotics (multiple robots working together) is another exciting application of the unmanned robotics systems, for example, coordinated search by an interconnected group of moving robots for the purpose of finding a source of hazardous emissions. These robots can behave like individuals working in a group without a centralized control

Soft-Tentacle Gripper for Pipe Crawling to Inspect Industrial Facilities Using UAVs

This paper presents a crawling mechanism using a soft-tentacle gripper integrated into an unmanned aerial vehicle for pipe inspection in industrial environments. The objective was to allow the aerial robot to perch and crawl along the pipe, minimizing the energy consumption, and allowing to perform contact inspection. This paper introduces the design of the soft limbs of the gripper and also the internal mechanism that allows movement along pipes. Several tests have been carried out to ensure the grasping capability on the pipe and the performance and reliability of the developed system. This paper shows the complete development of the system using additive manufacturing techniques and includes the results of experiments performed in realistic environments.Unión Europea SI-1762/23/201

Locomotion system for ground mobile robots in uneven and unstructured environments

One of the technology domains with the greatest growth rates nowadays is service robots. The extensive use of ground mobile robots in environments that are unstructured or structured for humans is a promising challenge for the coming years, even though Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) moving on flat and compact grounds are already commercially available and widely utilized to move components and products inside indoor industrial buildings. Agriculture, planetary exploration, military operations, demining, intervention in case of terrorist attacks, surveillance, and reconnaissance in hazardous conditions are important application domains. Due to the fact that it integrates the disciplines of locomotion, vision, cognition, and navigation, the design of a ground mobile robot is extremely interdisciplinary. In terms of mechanics, ground mobile robots, with the exception of those designed for particular surroundings and surfaces (such as slithering or sticky robots), can move on wheels (W), legs (L), tracks (T), or hybrids of these concepts (LW, LT, WT, LWT). In terms of maximum speed, obstacle crossing ability, step/stair climbing ability, slope climbing ability, walking capability on soft terrain, walking capability on uneven terrain, energy efficiency, mechanical complexity, control complexity, and technology readiness, a systematic comparison of these locomotion systems is provided in [1]. Based on the above-mentioned classification, in this thesis, we first introduce a small-scale hybrid locomotion robot for surveillance and inspection, WheTLHLoc, with two tracks, two revolving legs, two active wheels, and two passive omni wheels. The robot can move in several different ways, including using wheels on the flat, compact ground,[1] tracks on soft, yielding terrain, and a combination of tracks, legs, and wheels to navigate obstacles. In particular, static stability and non-slipping characteristics are considered while analyzing the process of climbing steps and stairs. The experimental test on the first prototype has proven the planned climbing maneuver’s efficacy and the WheTLHLoc robot's operational flexibility. Later we present another development of WheTLHLoc and introduce WheTLHLoc 2.0 with newly designed legs, enabling the robot to deal with bigger obstacles. Subsequently, a single-track bio-inspired ground mobile robot's conceptual and embodiment designs are presented. This robot is called SnakeTrack. It is designed for surveillance and inspection activities in unstructured environments with constrained areas. The vertebral column has two end modules and a variable number of vertebrae linked by compliant joints, and the surrounding track is its essential component. Four motors drive the robot: two control the track motion and two regulate the lateral flexion of the vertebral column for steering. The compliant joints enable limited passive torsion and retroflection of the vertebral column, which the robot can use to adapt to uneven terrain and increase traction. Eventually, the new version of SnakeTrack, called 'Porcospino', is introduced with the aim of allowing the robot to move in a wider variety of terrains. The novelty of this thesis lies in the development and presentation of three novel designs of small-scale mobile robots for surveillance and inspection in unstructured environments, and they employ hybrid locomotion systems that allow them to traverse a variety of terrains, including soft, yielding terrain and high obstacles. This thesis contributes to the field of mobile robotics by introducing new design concepts for hybrid locomotion systems that enable robots to navigate challenging environments. The robots presented in this thesis employ modular designs that allow their lengths to be adapted to suit specific tasks, and they are capable of restoring their correct position after falling over, making them highly adaptable and versatile. Furthermore, this thesis presents a detailed analysis of the robots' capabilities, including their step-climbing and motion planning abilities. In this thesis we also discuss possible refinements for the robots' designs to improve their performance and reliability. Overall, this thesis's contributions lie in the design and development of innovative mobile robots that address the challenges of surveillance and inspection in unstructured environments, and the analysis and evaluation of these robots' capabilities. The research presented in this thesis provides a foundation for further work in this field, and it may be of interest to researchers and practitioners in the areas of robotics, automation, and inspection. As a general note, the first robot, WheTLHLoc, is a hybrid locomotion robot capable of combining tracked locomotion on soft terrains, wheeled locomotion on flat and compact grounds, and high obstacle crossing capability. The second robot, SnakeTrack, is a small-size mono-track robot with a modular structure composed of a vertebral column and a single peripherical track revolving around it. The third robot, Porcospino, is an evolution of SnakeTrack and includes flexible spines on the track modules for improved traction on uneven but firm terrains, and refinements of the shape of the track guidance system. This thesis provides detailed descriptions of the design and prototyping of these robots and presents analytical and experimental results to verify their capabilities

Parallel Platform-Based Robot for Operation in Active Water Pipes

This thesis presents a novel design for a pipe inspection robot. The main aim of the design has been to allow the robot to operate in a water pipe while it is still in service. Water pipes form a very crucial part of the infrastructure of the world we live in today. Despite their importance, water leakage is a major problem suffered by water companies worldwide, costing them billions of dollars every year. There are a wide variety of different techniques used for leak detection and localisation, but no one method is capable of accurately pinpointing the leak location and severity in all pipe conditions with minimal labour. A survey of existing pipe inspection robots showed that there have been many designs implemented that are capable of navigating the pipeline environment. However, none of these were capable of fully autonomous control in a live water pipe. It was concluded that an autonomous pipe inspection robot capable of working in active pipelines would be of great industrial benefit as it would be able to carry a wide range of sensors directly to the source of the leak with minimal, if any, human intervention. An inchworm robot prototype was constructed based on a Gough-Stewart parallel platform. The robot’s inverse kinematics equations were derived and a simulation model of the robot was constructed. These were verified using a motion capture suite, confirming that they are valid representations of the robot. The simulation was used to determine the robot’s movement limitations and minimum bend radius it could navigate. Several CFD simulations were carried out in order to estimate the maximum fluid force exerted on the robot. It was found that the robot’s design successfully minimised the fluid force such that off-the-shelf actuators had the capability to overcome it. The prototype was successfully tested in both a straight and bent pipe, demonstrating its ability to navigate a dry pipe environment. Overall, the robot prototype served as a successful proof of concept for a design of pipe inspection robot that would be capable of operating in active pipelines

Estudo multifísico de atuador eletromagnético linear para robô de desobstução de tubulações

O presente trabalho apresenta o estudo de uma topologia inovadora de robô que emprega um atuador eletromagnético linear a ímãs permanentes como dispositivo responsável pela locomoção. O robô é destinado a aplicações de desobstrução de tubulações utilizadas na extração de petróleo no mar. Logo, o atuador eletromagnético deve ser capaz de produzir força e se locomover imerso em óleo dentro da tubulação. Portanto, foi proposto um mecanismo de autotravamento que se adapta à estrutura do atuador, que permite realizar a locomoção e que pode tracionar cargas elevadas. O projeto foi desenvolvido considerando um estudo de caso no qual o diâmetro interno da tubulação é de 4,0 polegadas e a temperatura do óleo pode variar de 4 a 100 °C. Assim, o robô deve ter formato tubular e obedecer a diversas restrições dimensionais e requisitos de projeto. Diante dos requisitos e restrições verificou-se que, para a aplicação, um parâmetro importante de projeto é a alta densidade de força do atuador, pois este deve tracionar, além da própria massa, a carga de um cabo umbilical responsável por alimentar o robô e outros equipamentos de monitoramento. A topologia do atuador foi definida, baseada em estudo bibliográfico, a fim de se obter elevada densidade de força. Para fins de avaliação de força produzida pelo atuador, foi desenvolvido um método analítico baseado no Tensor de Maxwell para realizar o dimensionamento básico de atuadores lineares tubulares ou cilíndricos. Uma análise mais refinada foi realizada por meio de simulação numérica com método dos elementos finitos de forma paramétrica utilizando a ferramenta computacional ANSYS Electronics®. Adicionalmente, como é prevista uma elevada amplitude térmica, um modelo numérico foi implementado para avaliar a distribuição do campo de temperatura e a dinâmica do fluido, pois é considerado o deslocamento do atuador dentro do mesmo. Por fim, foi desenvolvido um modelo multifísico numérico que possibilita avaliar o desempenho do atuador considerando a influência dos fenômenos eletromagnéticos e térmicos acoplados. A análise multifísica permite determinar os limites de carregamento elétrico, consequentemente a capacidade de produção de força, impostos pela máxima temperatura de operação no atuador.The present work presents the study of an innovative robot topology that employs a permanent magnet linear electromagnetic actuator as a device responsible for motion. The robot is designed for applications with clearing of pipelines used in the extraction of crude oil in the sea. Thus, the electromagnetic actuator must be capable of producing force and moving immersed in oil inside the pipe. Therefore, a self-locking mechanism has been proposed that adapts to the structure of the actuator, which allows motion to be carried out and which can drive high loads. The design was developed considering a case study in which the internal diameter of the pipeline is 4 inches and the crude oil temperature can range from 4 to 100 °C. Thus, the robot must have a tubular shape and comply with various dimensional constraints and design requirements. Taking into account the requirements and restrictions, it was verified that, for the application, an important parameter of design is the high force density of the actuator, since it must drag, besides the own mass, the load of an umbilical cable, responsible for feeding the robot, and other monitoring equipment. The topology of the actuator was defined, based on a bibliographic study, in order to obtain high force density. Wit the purpose of evaluating the force produced by the actuator, an analytical method based on the Maxwell Stress Tensor was developed to perform the basic design of tubular or cylindrical linear actuators. A more refined analysis was performed by means of numerical simulation using the finite element method in a parametric form with ANSYS Electronics® software. In addition, since high thermal amplitude is predicted, a numerical model was implemented to evaluate the temperature field distribution and the fluid dynamics, since the displacement of the actuator inside the pipe is considered. Finally, a numerical multiphysical model was developed to evaluate the performance of the actuator considering the influence of the coupled electromagnetic and thermal phenomena. The multiphysical analysis allows to determine the limits for electric loading, consequently the capacity of force production, imposed by the maximum temperature of operation in the actuator

Models, algorithms and architectures for cooperative manipulation with aerial and ground robots

Les dernières années ont vu le développement de recherches portant sur l'interaction physique entre les robots aériens et leur environnement, accompagné de l'apparition de nombreux nouveaux systèmes mécaniques et approches de régulation. La communauté centrée autour de la robotique aérienne observe actuellement un déplacement de paradigmes des approches classiques de guidage, de navigation et de régulation vers des tâches moins triviales, telle le développement de l'interaction physique entre robots aériens et leur environnement. Ceci correspond à une extension des tâches dites de manipulation, du sol vers les airs. Cette thèse contribue au domaine de la manipulation aérienne en proposant un nouveau concept appelé MAGMaS, pour " Multiple Aerial Ground Manipulator System ". Les motivations qui ont conduites à l'association de manipulateurs terrestres et aériens pour effectuer des tâches de manipulation coopérative, résident dans une volonté d'exploiter leurs particularités respectives. Les manipulateurs terrestres apportant leur importante force et les manipulateurs aériens apportant leur vaste espace de travail. La première contribution de cette thèse présente une modélisation rigoureuse des MAGMaS. Les propriétés du système ainsi que ses possibles extensions sont discutées. Les méthodes de planning, d'estimation et de régulation nécessaire à l'exploitation des MAGMaS pour des tâches de manipulation collaborative sont dérivées. Ce travail propose d'exploiter les redondances des MAGMaS grâce à un algorithme optimal d'allocation de forces entre les manipulateurs. De plus, une méthode générale d'estimation de forces pour robots aériens est introduite. Toutes les techniques et les algorithmes présentés dans cette thèse sont intégrés dans une architecture globale, utilisée à la fois pour la simulation et la validation expérimentale. Cette architecture est en outre augmentée par l'addition d'une structure de télé-présence, afin de permettre l'opération à distances des MAGMaS. L'architecture générale est validée par une démonstration de levage de barre, qui est une application représentative des potentiels usages des MAGMaS. Une autre contribution relative au développement des MAGMaS consiste en une étude exploratoire de la flexibilité dans les objets manipulés par un MAGMaS. Un modèle du phénomène vibratoire est dérivé afin de mettre en exergue ses propriétés en termes de contrôle. La dernière contribution de cette thèse consiste en une étude exploratoire sur l'usage des actionneurs à raideur variable dans les robots aériens, dotant ces systèmes d'une compliance mécanique intrinsèque et de capacité de stockage d'énergie. Les fondements théoriques sont associés à la synthèse d'un contrôleur non-linéaire. L'approche proposée est validée par le biais d'expériences reposant sur l'intégration d'un actionneur à raideur variable léger sur un robot aérien.In recent years, the subject of physical interaction for aerial robots has been a popular research area with many new mechanical designs and control approaches being proposed. The aerial robotics community is currently observing a paradigm shift from classic guidance, navigation, and control tasks towards more unusual tasks, for example requesting aerial robots to physically interact with the environment, thus extending the manipulation task from the ground into the air. This thesis contributes to the field of aerial manipulation by proposing a novel concept known has Multiple Aerial-Ground Manipulator System or MAGMaS, including what appears to be the first experimental demonstration of a MAGMaS and opening a new route of research. The motivation behind associating ground and aerial robots for cooperative manipulation is to leverage their respective particularities, ground robots bring strength while aerial robots widen the workspace of the system. The first contribution of this work introduces a meticulous system model for MAGMaS. The system model's properties and potential extensions are discussed in this work. The planning, estimation and control methods which are necessary to exploit MAGMaS in a cooperative manipulation tasks are derived. This works proposes an optimal control allocation scheme to exploit the MAGMaS redundancies and a general model-based force estimation method is presented. All of the proposed techniques reported in this thesis are integrated in a global architecture used for simulations and experimental validation. This architecture is extended by the addition of a tele-presence framework to allow remote operations of MAGMaS. The global architecture is validated by robust demonstrations of bar lifting, an application that gives an outlook of the prospective use of the proposed concept of MAGMaS. Another contribution in the development of MAGMaS consists of an exploratory study on the flexibility of manipulated loads. A vibration model is derived and exploited to showcase vibration properties in terms of control. The last contribution of this thesis consists of an exploratory study on the use of elastic joints in aerial robots, endowing these systems with mechanical compliance and energy storage capabilities. Theoretical groundings are associated with a nonlinear controller synthesis. The proposed approach is validated by experimental work which relies on the integration of a lightweight variable stiffness actuator on an aerial robot

Robotic Minimally Invasive Tools for Restricted Access Confined Spaces

A study has been performed in the design and fabrication of deployable borehole robots into confined spaces. Three robot systems have been developed to perform a visual survey of a subterranean space where for any reason humans could not enter. A 12mm diameter snake arm was designed with a focus on the cable tensions and the failure modes for the components that make the snake arm. An iterative solver was developed to model the snake arm and algorithmically calculate the snake arms optimal length with consideration of the failure modes. A robot was developed to extend the range capabilities of borehole robots using reconfigurable borehole robots based around established actuation and manufacturing techniques. The expected distance and weight requirements of the robot are calculated alongside the forces the robot is required to generate in order to achieve them. The whegged design incorporated into the tracks is also analysed to measure the capability of the robot over rough terrain. Finally, the experiments to find the actual driving forces of the tracks are performed and used to calculate the actual range of the robot in comparison to the target range. The potential of reconfigurable mobile robots for deployment through boreholes is limited by the requirement for conventional gears, motors, and joints. This chapter explores the use of smart materials and innovative manufacturing techniques to form a novel concept of a self-folding robotic joint for a self-assembling robotic system. The design uses shape memory alloys fabricated in laminate structures with heaters to create folding structures