Objective
It is necessary to improve methods for structural risk assessment. This will enable operators of large infrastructures to meet new standards for seismic risk assessment at a lower cost. The approach will be to develop a low-cost climbing robot capable of reaching remote parts of large structures; sensors for structural inspection and instrumentation; and mission management systems. The results will be evaluated via field tests. Their impact on structural risk assessment capabilities will be quantified and disseminated.
Objectives:
The key objective is to remove the need for human climbers, who are scarce and expensive, and not well-suited for carrying out objective, repeatable inspection protocols.
The technical objectives are:
to develop a low-cost climbing robot to convey sensors to remote parts of large structures;
to develop robotic methods of attaching sensors to the structure;
to develop advanced sensors for surface inspection using visual, acoustic, magnetic and radar sensing techniques;
to develop a user interface supporting robot navigation, data acquisition and display, and analytical facilities;
to capture best practice for objective and repeatable inspection before and after seismic shocks;
to quantify and disseminate benefits for the ability of operators to meet structural assessment standards.
Work description:
The main tasks will be to capture the current state of the art in structural assessment as a baseline:
to capture user requirements and technological constraints, and derive a specification of the ROBOSENSE system;
to develop the core technologies, including the robot vehicle, robotic instrumentation mechanism, sensor payloads, and mission management software;
to integrate the technical components, and manufacture enough robots and sensors to enable end-user evaluation;
to evaluate the technology via field tests, developing and capturing an objective, repeatable structural risk assessment protocol, and quantifying the resulting benefits;
to disseminate the results of the project, especially its impact on best practices in structural risk assessment, and to prepare for exploitation.
Milestones:
State of the art and requirements captured, system designed;
Core robot, sensors and software technology developed;
Evaluation systems manufactured and integrated, field tests planned and baseline information gathered;
Evaluation completed, benefits measured against quantitative yard sticks;
Final project results will be a robotic inspection system including vehicle, sensors and software; and an objective, repeatable robotic structural assessment protocol.
Funding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
Southampton
United Kingdom
Participants (5)
Berlin
24068 Seriate
Karlsruhe
Bidart
PO1 2UP Portsmouth