Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 30, 2025
07:49
Rod-based Fabrication of Customizable Soft Robotic Pneumatic Gripper Devices for Delicate Tissue Manipulation
Published on: August 2, 2016
9.0K
Soft-Tentacle Gripper for Pipe Crawling to Inspect Industrial Facilities Using UAVs
F Javier Garcia Rubiales1, Pablo Ramon Soria1, Begoña C Arrue1
1GRVC Robotics Laboratory, University of Seville, Avenida de los Descubrimientos, S/N, 41092 Seville, Spain.
Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 2, 2021
Summary
A new soft-tentacle gripper enables unmanned aerial vehicles to crawl inside pipes for industrial inspection. This robotic system minimizes energy use and allows for contact-based assessments, enhancing inspection capabilities.
Area of Science:
- Robotics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Industrial Automation
Background:
- Traditional pipe inspection methods can be inefficient and costly.
- Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer potential for remote inspection but often lack robust perching and crawling capabilities.
- Industrial environments present unique challenges for robotic systems, including complex geometries and limited access.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and evaluate a novel crawling mechanism for UAVs to inspect pipes.
- To enable aerial robots to perch and move along pipes, reducing energy consumption.
- To facilitate contact-based inspection for enhanced data acquisition.
Main Methods:
- Integration of a soft-tentacle gripper with a UAV.
- Design of soft limbs and an internal pipe-crawling mechanism.
- Utilizing additive manufacturing for system development.
- Conducting experimental tests for grasping, performance, and reliability assessment.
Main Results:
- Successful demonstration of the soft-tentacle gripper's ability to grasp pipes.
- Validation of the crawling mechanism's performance and reliability in realistic environments.
- Additive manufacturing proved effective for fabricating the complex gripper system.
Conclusions:
- The developed UAV-based crawling system offers a viable solution for efficient pipe inspection in industrial settings.
- The soft-tentacle gripper design enhances robotic maneuverability and energy efficiency for in-pipe operations.
- This technology has the potential to significantly improve safety and reduce costs associated with industrial pipe maintenance.
