UTwente's Robotics and Mechatronics group (RaM) has worked on the ”Pipe Inspection Robot for AuTonomous Exploration” (for short PIRATE) since the beginning of 2006. The PIRATE is a snake-like robot designed for performing industrial pipe inspections by clamping itself between the edges of the pipe of different diameters. The robot consists of multiple joints that enable the robot to bend and deform, a rotational section in the middle of the design which allows the robot to tilt the front and rear section, and wheels in each joint which allow the robot to drive itself forward and backwards.
In order to make the system more autonomous, an extra layer of control is to be constructed which uses the available information to determine which actions to take next, concluding in the ability to perform missions. Such missions could range from exploring a pipe network while determining whether pipe quality suffices, to going to a specified location on the map to perform an inspection.
This research will focus on creating a a framework that will allow the robot to start such missions, and completing them autonomously, both in known and unknown pipe networks.