Fixed location automated inspection performs the work with almost no human involvement (aside from maintenance on the inspection systems themselves, which is generally simple and infrequent). Handheld inspection can be performed anywhere that someone can bring the handheld gauge or inspection device.
Mobile autonomous inspection and maintenance combines the advantages of both by having the inspection system move itself to target areas, and perhaps even perform maintenance/repair work itself. An autonomous platform can perform measurements with a degree of control and precision that human beings cannot match, and offers far greater flexibility than fixed-base systems.
IEM has designed, produced, tested, and demonstrated autonomous robotic systems for inspection and maintenance functions. These have ranged in size from our several-hundred pound TAD (Transportation Autonomous Device) to a few pounds (our Autonomous Corrosion Inspector), and IEM has designed and constructed them all from the ground up – drive train and navigation to sensor systems, manipulator arms and effectors, enclosures, and communications and processing systems, as well as all the software to operate and control the robot’s movement, decisionmaking, and inspection processes. This includes patented design concepts, algorithms, and approaches, such as the use of a fixed-base pre-screening system to perform preliminary assessment of measurement and maintenance targets.