Mobile Robot with Wheeled-Legs for Inspection of Pipes with Variable Diameter and Elbow Shapes

Currently, many equipment manufacturers for internal pipe inspection propose robotic systems since they move safe and efficiently, adapting to the size and shape characteristics of the commercial pipes used in urban and industrial infrastructure. This work presents the development of a mobile robot with wheeled-legs capable of adapting to variable diameter pipes and elbow shapes connectors. The robot has four wheeled-legs, the wheels of two of them are actuated by servomotors. The synchronized movement of the active wheels allows the robot to move in any direction. The robot has a camera that records a video as it travels in the pipe. The wheeled-legs can extend or retract independently by means of a torsion spring; then the robot adapts to pipe dimensions with enough force to move vertically. A prototype of the robot was built and its operation was tested in a pipe model consisting of: straight pipe sections, variable diameter Sections (6 and 8 in.), and also elbow type connections at 90 and 45°.