Design and manufacturing a novel screw‐in‐pipe inspection robot with steering capability

Abstract In this article, a novel in‐pipe inspection robot is designed and manufactured in Kharazmi University KharazmPipeBot. This robot is able to move through any pipeline with a predefined diameter range with a variable pitch rate and report any desired data within the pipe with the aid of the installed camera. To achieve the highest stability of the robot through the pipe, the robot's movement is based on the screw locomotion protocol provided by the aid of its rotor and stator. A simple suspension is designed for three legs of the robot by installing a passive prismatic joint equipped with a spring for each leg to provide a smoother movement for the robot chassis. The main novelty of the robot is adding an extra controlling actuator for the robot which is the steer of the front wheels. This input can control the pitch rate of the robot movement and consequently the spiral track of the wheels can be actively managed. This importance lets us to bypass the probable obstacles attached to the inner wall of the pipes. A brief presentation of the robot model is delivered. Afterward, to verify the claimed novelties of the system, a prototype of the robot is manufactured in Kharazmi University and the efficiency of the robot is demonstrated by conducting some initial experimental tests. It is shown that the robot can move with a variable pitch rate through the wall and pass a detected obstacle accordingly.