Robot reaches into awkward spaces
An
OC Robotics product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
May 19, 2005
OCRobotics has been working with the UK MoD to introduce a new breed of robot capable of reaching into awkward spaces.
OCRobotics has been working with the UK MoD to introduce a new breed of robot capable of reaching into awkward spaces.
Where a rigid-link robot is restricted by the "elbows" in its arms, a snake-arm can follow its nose to reach through small gaps and around narrowly spaced obstacles.
In April 2003, OCRobotics signed a contract with the UK MoD to build a snake-arm robot to be used on a remote vehicle.
The arm had to be 2.5m long and able to carry a payload of 25kg.
It also had to be capable of towing a car.
The arm itself is the cheapest part of the system, meaning that if it is damaged during operation it can be replaced at relatively little cost.
OCRobotics has designed the system so that the arm can be detached remotely allowing the robot to discard its arm, for example if it gets trapped or wedged, and return to the operator so that a new arm can be attached.
Arms can be quickly hot-swapped if a different tool or arm size is required.
The arm works mainly in a horizontal plane and, being flexible, gravity has a considerable effect on it.
For this reason it has been necessary to develop a method of measuring the actual shape of the arm.
The software compares the desired shape to the actual shape and compensates for externally applied forces.
This also allows the arm to be controllable when it has picked up a payload.
OCRobotics has successfully demonstrated the capability of the arm to reach into a car through an open window.
The arm reached through the driver's window to the back seat of the car where an object was viewed through the tip-mounted camera.
The contract also stated that the arm must be strong enough to tow a car.
OCRobotics snake-arms are axially strong because of the high loading ability of the wires running along their length.
The robot was demonstrated towing a car.
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