Abstract:
A Semi-autonomous mobile robot that can move autonomously in a horizontal pipe, a vertical pipe and an elbow connection with bending angle of 45°. Furthermore, the robot has a light and a camera at the back end of the robot body and a gyroscope, and accordingly it has functions to execute piping operations, such as inspection of pipe deflection and welding of the pipe. The robot is constructed by two parts connected by a universal joint and three wheels connected to each part. The robot is controlled by a microcontroller chip. As the results of operating experiments, the effectiveness of the robot system in semi-autonomous movement in a pipe and an elbow connection and automatic tracking of its center line, helps to detect any defect and to ensure that the pipe is constructed within the required standards, which helps in solving the problems before it happens to save time, money and lives. The robot deals with sewage water pipelines network with 6-inch diameter.