PILOTING
PILOTs for robotic INspection and maintenance Grounded on advanced intelligent platforms and prototype applications
Promoting an advanced robotic infrastructure inspection solution.
Vision.
To increase the efficiency and quality of inspection and maintenance activities in order to keep the necessary safety levels in ageing infrastructures. More specifically, it will develop an integrated platform demonstrating the application of robotics at scale in the domain of inspection and maintenance.
The challenge.
Current inspection methods are based on manual inspection procedures that are slow and often necessitate the shutdown of infrastructure.
Nowadays, inspection authorities and personnel are unable to use repeatable and reproducible inspection data, which tends to be inadequate in quality measurements (which are largely dependent on the inspector's expertise and experience). Errors in or poor quality of inspection measurement data can have serious effects, resulting in infrastructure damage or health concerns to the public or infrastructure staff.
In addition, personnel access and the possibility of accidental falls and injuries are the two most expensive elements of the inspection. Working on elevated structures and in dangerous areas necessitates planning and the presence of support staff, which indicates delayed progress in measurement activities.
Manual Inspection Limitations
Inadequate Inspection Data
Increased Injury Incidence
Approach & solutions.
To address this challenge, PILOTING proposes the adaptation, integration, and demonstration of robotic solutions, in an integrated platform which will demonstrate the use of robotics at scale in the domain of Inspection and Maintenance (I&M), reduce end-user commercial risks associated with robotics deployment in the sector, demonstrate capabilities and improve understanding of robotics uptake value, develop and support the related ecosystem surrounding the piloting I&M operations, and contribute to industrial standards in robotics for I&M.
The use of robotic technologies in PILOTING will :
- decrease cost and time of inspection and maintenance operations since it avoids unnecessary disruption and downtime, and facilitates enormously the access to high and/or dangerous locations.
- provide high precision measurement data (gathered by the robotic vehicles) structured and presented in a seamless but trustworthy approach towards the inspection personnel.
- contribute to increase personnel safety through advanced and automated robotic systems that will decrease drastically the exposure of operators to dangerous situations.
The project focuses on the adaptation and demonstration of robotic solutions, in an integrated platform, tested and evaluated in three large-scale pilots: refineries, bridges/viaducts and tunnels with the involvement of all the actors across the value chain.
Pilot Use Cases
Real-life inspection uses cases that will be the subject of pilots within each category (refineries, bridges/viaducts and tunnels).
PILOTING intends to provide a complete inspection platform that will offer end-users with the precise and correct information needed to plan crucial infrastructure maintenance, preventing future accidents and meeting regulatory and industrial standards.
Our role.
Besides driving the activities related to the specification and design of the PILOTING Inspection & Mainenance (I&M) Platform, Inlecom Innovation has developed one of the platform components (DDHL) and is also coordinating the tasks that revolve around the Metsovo Tunnel Use Case.
This project has received funding from the Horizon Europe research and innovation programme under GA 871542. Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
