Engineering news
A European research project will see engineers test a robotic system for detecting structural defects in tunnels on the London Underground.
European research project Robinspect is developing an intelligent robotic device able to automatically move and detect structural defects in road and rail tunnels. The €5 million, three year project, which started in October, hopes to have a prototype system ready for testing before the end of next year.
Most maintenance and safety inspections of tunnels are carried out in situ, a slow and labour intensive process that often requires the tunnel to close, inconveniencing road and rail users. The main advantage of the automated Robinspect system is that it will allow tunnels to stay open while inspections are carried out.
The quality of the inspection will also be greater because it will be performed by a high-precision camera system that can detect tiny fissures and deformities invisible to the naked eye. The device will also be able to measure the radial deformities of the transversal section of the tunnels, the distance between parallel cracks or detect open joints with pinpoint precision.
Robinspect integrates several different fields of research including intelligent robot control, sensor technology and artificial vision with learning. It has three main components: a vehicle, a small crane and a robotic arm. The vehicle will be small and robust so that it can move along the irregular surface of the tunnels. The crane will allow inspection to be carried out from a distance of approximately five meters and hold the weight of the robotic arm.
Juan Víctores, a researcher working on the project at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid’s Robotics Lab, said: “The robotic arm will be equipped with an extensive sensorial system for vision, ultrasound and tactile that will provide the precision and intelligent movement needed to carry out inspections in tunnels.”
The prototype of the robotic crane will be tested next year on the London underground, on three subterranean sections of the Greek Egnatia highway and some experimental tunnels of the VSH underground research facility in Switzerland.
It is being developed by a consortium of eleven universities, research centers and European firms in the field of construction robotics including German tooling firm RiSA, defence electronics firm Cassidian in France, Halcrow from the UK and tunnel research laboratory VSH Hagerbach Test Galleries in Switzerland.
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