Tapered, Twisted Bundled-Tube Locomotive Devices for Stepped Pipe Inspection.

Area of Science:

• Robotics
• Biomimetics
• Mechanical Engineering

Background:

• Soft robots offer advantages in miniaturization and cost-effectiveness for pipe inspection.
• Existing twisted bundled-tube robots mimic spirochetes but struggle with diameter changes.
• The need for robots capable of navigating complex pipe networks, including step parts, is critical.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a soft robot capable of traversing pipes with decreasing diameters.
• To enhance the adaptability of twisted bundled-tube robots for comprehensive pipe inspection.

Main Methods:

• A novel soft robot was designed with a tapered shape achieved by altering spiral pitch along its length.
• The prototype robot's locomotion capabilities were tested in horizontally and vertically fixed pipes with significant diameter reductions.

Main Results:

• The tapered soft robot successfully transitioned from larger to smaller diameter pipes (52.9 mm to 21.6 mm horizontally; 41.6 mm to 21.6 mm vertically).
• The modified design enabled the robot to overcome step parts, a previous limitation.

Conclusions:

• The tapered twisted bundled-tube soft robot demonstrates improved maneuverability in pipes with varying diameters.
• This advancement significantly enhances the potential for in-pipe inspection robots in complex water pipe systems.