Submersible robot

Citation

(1998), "Submersible robot", Industrial Robot, Vol. 25 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ir.1998.04925aaf.008

Submersible robot

Submersible robot

Maverick, a little robot on wheels, could save tank owners $50,000-$150,000 per inspection of a tank's interior for corrosion. That's what it costs to clean a tank and dispose of the sludge so that it can be inspected, says Thor Zollinger, chief engineer for Solex Robotics Systems Inc. (Idaho Falls, Idaho), a subsidiary of Solex Environmental Systems Inc. Solex, a spin-off from Idaho National Engineering Laboratory (INEL; Idaho Falls), was formed by ex-INEL engineers to commercialize Maverick. Developed by INEL in response to petroleum industry demand, the submersible robot inspects a tank while it is in use. The sealed hull of the 2ft wide × 1 ft long unit is pressurized with nitrogen to about 40 psi. In operation, the remotely controlled robot is lowered into a tank and rolls around the floor and walls on magnetic wheels. Ultrasonic signals emitted from its underside are reflected back, and tank thickness variations are calculated from the time difference between two reflected signals. A prototype is awaiting certification to operate in an explosive environment, then Solex plans to lease robots to inspection firms.