Investigation into Novel Robotics Locomotion Techniques

National Grid Gas Transmission has identified the need to develop and demonstrate robotics technologies suitable for the inline inspection of buried pipework on AGIs. A NIC bid for 2014 has been submitted for a demonstration project in this area. The NIC bid is a medium risk project with a tight scope and making use of existing technologies, combined into a novel platform.

The work done under this studentship will push at the current technology boundary, is at a much lower technology readiness level, therefore higher risk. The work is specifically focused on the locomotive aspects of a robot solution given the requirement to traverse changes in diameter. Pipework on AGIs can vary from 8 to 48 inch and currently there is no single robot that could successful negotiate such an extreme change. Multiple robots and careful planning of entry and exit routes would be required. This work will research and develop new locomotion concepts to overcome this challenge.

Benefits

Publication of a technical paper / thesis on the work with discussions on the findings, recommendations and suggestions for further work.

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Investigation into Novel Robotics Locomotion Techniques

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