Robotics have come a long way and nowadays are being used to tackle everyday problems. Meet LaserPipe – a snake robot that is capable of crawling inside pipes and repair faults in remote locations. To repair any fault within pipes can turn into a nightmare, even for the most experienced welders. The reason being the fact that movement is limited depending upon the pipe’s nature and the location of the fault.
LaserPipe is an idea that has been coined in collaboration between the OCRobotics and TWI Ltd in order to remove the need of a human physically accessing the pipe and locating the fault. The ideal solution was of course in the form of robots. If designed properly and with specific aims, robots can be very efficient. However, coming up with a robot that is capable of traveling within tubes and carrying out repairs is not a walk in the park. Snake-arm robotics made this possible!
According to the team, “The LaserPipe project goal was to develop a compact in-bore laser welding system and investigate the procedures for an all positional laser welding process”
The robot traverses like a snake and thus is capable of moving in any kind of terrain. It makes use of lasers to carry out repair work within a pipe. The concept seems quite favorable for industries where the maintenance of equipment is required and carried out every day. We are excited for the concept and are looking forward to the final product!
