AUTOMATED PIPE INSPECTION ROBOT

Automated inspection of the inner surface of a pipe can be achieved by a mobile robot. Pipe inspection is necessary to locate defects due to corrosion and wear while the pipe is transporting fluids. Pipe inspec tion devices are available for these tasks; they commonly use ultrason ic or magnetic flux variation to detect defects. Says that the magnitu de of the costs involved in the development and implementation of thes e inspection techniques is such that it inhibits their more frequent a nd widespread use. Posits that the automated pipe inspection robot pre sented is a proposed cost-effective alternative solution. The inspecti on device is a PC-based design that uses mechatronic principles to ens ure a purposeful interaction between the robot and its environment.