To boldly go where no robot could fit before
15 Jan 2000
In a tight spot? Toshiba might have the answer. The Japanese electronics giant has developed what it claims is the world's smallest pipe inspection robot, capable of fitting into tubes less than an inch in diameter.
Normally, pipes this small can't be inspected without the equipment being disassembled, which is time consuming and difficult. The Toshiba robot, which is 110mm long, 23 mm across at its widest point, and weighs 16g, can not only negotiate such tight spaces, it can undertake visual inspections and even remove foreign bodies. It is equipped with a 1/4-inch, 410000 pixel camera, mounted immediately above a two-digit hand.
The hand and eye are connected to a `wobble motor', which consists of a metal ring mounted on a drive shaft, covered with a rubber doughnut with six air chambers running around its length. Adjusting the air pressure inside these chambers changes the pressure exerted on the ring and drive shaft, which results in simultaneous movement of the hand and eye. Each digit of the hand contains three air chambers that, when inflated or deflated, flex the fingers to grip or relax.
The robot gets around using a planetary wheel mechanism. The wheels are pressed tight against the sides of the pipe, which allows the robot to ascend and descend vertical pipes.
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