A collaboration between the U.K.’s National Robotarium and Brazil’s Senai Cimatec is aiming to make hazardous subsea inspections safer with a tentacle-like underwater robot.
According to its developers, the soft and flexible manipulator is 1 m long and conforms to structures during contact. This is reportedly an advantage when compared to commonly used rigid manipulators when working around delicate or complex subsea equipment.
Source: Ben Glasgow
The tentacle-like robot features a flexible backbone that works in concert with a system of tendon-like cables that control its movement. Onboard sensors help the robot understand its position and shape underwater, thereby enabling it to make precise movements, even in turbulent environments. Thanks to these features, the robot is ideal for deploying from underwater vehicles to inspect offshore wind farms, as well as other offshore energy and marine infrastructure.
During trials conducted at a wave tank facility, the robot accurately positioned its tentacle-like arm and maintained stability when introduced to external forces of up to 300 g. When disturbed, the robot corrected its position and returned to the desired state within seconds.
The robot is intended for use by offshore energy companies, underwater inspection service providers and operators of subsea infrastructure conducting regular safety assessments, the team explained.
In the future, the team envisions that the robot could eventually enable smaller underwater vehicles to perform inspection tasks, thus reducing operational costs while simultaneously improving personnel safety and environmental sustainability.
