Product Overview
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.