Development of a Multi-Body Autonomous Inspection Robot for Small Diameter Pipes

Abstract

The pipeline network of North America is thousands of kilometer long and is ever increasing. To ensure the safety of every individual whose lives are affected by this network, the inspection of the pipelines are mandatory. With the steady progress and downsizing of robotic components, the wireless inspection of smaller pipelines is now a possibility and is the principal driver of this research. Mainly, the scope of this project is to explore the feasibility of the fabrication of a robot to inspect pipes of diameter of six to eight inches. Various design possibilities and the inherent problems of small confined environments inspections are investigated. The parameters for the fewest number of collisions for the design of a pipe robot is presented and various pipe scenarios are simulated. Finally, a prototype is fabricated and recommendations are suggested for future subsequent iterations of the robot.