inspection robots with magnetic wheels - eth zürich · • improve the existing inspection...

• Navigate and explore industrial plants with robots.

• Improve the existing inspection technologies by building compact robots with high mobility.

• These robots will allow bringing inspection sensors (camera, ultrasonic probes, … ) to locations hardly or not accessible by humans.

• Gaining inspection time and increasing the inspection performance using robots: e.g. no need to disassemble the part to be inspected or to move it to a workshop.

Typical environment

Motivation Approach

Autonomous Systems Lab http://www.asl.ethz.ch

Fabien Tâche (fabien.tache@mavt.ethz.ch)Wolfgang Fischer (fischer@mavt.ethz.ch)Roland Siegwart (rsiegwart@ethz.ch)

ETH ZentrumTannenstrasse 3, CLA

8092 Zurich, Switzerland

AAUTONOMOUS UTONOMOUS SSYSTEMS YSTEMS LLABAB

Objectives

• The main goal of this project is to develop new compact robots with high mobility able to access any location in narrow environments with complex geometry.

• We want the robot to be as autonomous as possible, in order to simplify its control by the end-user.

3D CAD model of a typical environment

Profile of the inner casing

• A typical environment includes horizontal as well as vertical sections

• The pipe diameter can be very narrow: down to 220mm

• The diameter varies along the pipe

• The pipes are metallic: we then use magnetic wheels for locomotion

Magnetic wheels tests

Modelling and simulationPassive vs. active mechanics

Inspection Robots with Magnetic Wheels

Miniaturization and IntegrationPrevious work: micro autonomous robot

Fusing passive and active structuresPrevious work: rough terrain exploration

rovers with excellent obstaclenegotiating skills

Study and enhanceMagnetic wheels for negotiating

complex shape obstacles

Develop locomotion and navigation concepts for inspection robots:

How to get rid of two magnetic contact points?

• Passive wheel mechanism

• Active wheel lifting mechanism

60mm

7-21mm

Mass: 100-400g

We want to answer the following questions:• Necessary friction coefficient?• Optimal ratio between magnetic force and mass?• What is the most critical situation?

Semi-automatic navigation

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Electromagnetic, active wheel lifter mechanism or passive wheel mechanism?

Fusion of CAD data, sensor information and user commands

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AcknowledgmentThis research is supported by Alstomwww.alstom.com