PFI-TT: Vine Robots for In-Pipe Navigation and Inspection of Critical Infrastructure

PFI-TT：用于管道内导航和关键基础设施检查的 Vine 机器人

• 批准号: 2345769
• 负责人: Allison Okamura
• 金额: $ 55万
• 依托单位: Stanford University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-02-01 至 2026-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2345769&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: PFI; TT; Vine; Robots; Pipe

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Partnerships for Innovation - Technology Translation (PFI-TT) project is the ability to inspect millions of miles of pipes that form critical infrastructure in both the public and private sectors. These pipes are buried under cities, are elevated across continents, and snake across factories, refineries, and treatment facilities -- transporting millions of tons of materials each day. But these pipes are difficult to inspect and thus prone to catastrophic failure, leading to hundreds of deaths, thousands of injuries, profound environmental impact, and $7.5 billion in damages in the U.S. oil and gas industry alone from 1986 to 2013. The global market for in-pipe inspection robots is projected to exceed $2 billion in the next several years, despite the significant limitations of current products, which cannot traverse complex and tortuous pipe systems or long distances between access points. This project will result in novel Vine Robots for nondestructive access to the interior of pipes for inspection, repair, and clog removal. The science and technology of soft robot propulsion, steering, and payload carrying will be developed to address navigation challenges that have thus far limited the effectiveness and adoption of robotic inspection.The proposed project will make key scientific discoveries and solve practical engineering challenges required to bring soft robotics out of the research lab to solve the unmet needs of a critical real-world application, pipe inspection. Research objectives include: (1) improving Vine Robot navigation via pressure-driven eversion using workspace analysis and modeling, base station design, materials selection, and tip-steering mechanisms; (2) enabling data collection and usability during pipe navigation, by employing teleoperated and autonomous control strategies and acquisition and visualization of video and other sensor data; (3) enabling debris sampling and removal through enhanced pushing/pulling forces and payload carrying abilities; and (4) designing, fabricating, and evaluating physical Vine Robots in achieving specific performance metrics for navigating long, tortuous, and branching pipes while operated by novices and continuously acquiring in-pipe video. Advances in soft robots will be made in material selection and design, modeling and analysis and their interaction with the environment. Novel mechanisms will be developed to create a robust and effective tip mount for a class of robot whose material at the tip is constantly changing. Finally, user friendly human-machine interfaces for visualization and interpretation of acquired data will be integrated with the Vine Robot system.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该创新合作伙伴关系 - 技术翻译 (PFI-TT) 项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是能够检查数百万英里的管道，这些管道构成了公共和私营部门的关键基础设施。这些管道埋在城市地下，跨越各大洲架空，蜿蜒穿过工厂、炼油厂和处理设施，每天输送数百万吨材料。但这些管道难以检查，因此容易发生灾难性故障，从 1986 年到 2013 年，仅美国石油和天然气行业就导致数百人死亡、数千人受伤、严重的环境影响以及 75 亿美元的损失。尽管当前产品存在重大局限性，无法穿越复杂而曲折的管道系统或接入点之间的长距离，但管道内检测机器人预计在未来几年内将超过 20 亿美元。该项目将产生新型 Vine 机器人，用于无损进入管道内部进行检查、维修和清除堵塞。将开发软体机器人推进、转向和有效负载承载的科学技术，以解决迄今为止限制机器人检查的有效性和采用的导航挑战。该项目将取得关键的科学发现，并解决实现机器人检查所需的实际工程挑战。软机器人技术走出研究实验室，解决了管道检查这一关键现实应用中未满足的需求。研究目标包括：（1）利用工作空间分析和建模、基站设计、材料选择和尖端转向机制，通过压力驱动外翻改进 Vine 机器人导航； (2) 通过采用远程操作和自主控制策略以及视频和其他传感器数据的采集和可视化，实现管道导航期间的数据收集和可用性； (3) 通过增强的推/拉力和有效负载承载能力实现碎片采样和清除； (4) 设计、制造和评估物理 Vine 机器人，以实现在新手操作时导航长、曲折和分支管道并持续获取管道内视频的特定性能指标。软机器人的进步将在材料选择和设计、建模和分析以及它们与环境的交互方面取得进展。我们将开发新颖的机制，为尖端材料不断变化的一类机器人创建坚固且有效的尖端安装座。最后，用于可视化和解释所获取数据的用户友好的人机界面将与 Vine Robot 系统集成。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。