Reading a pressure gauge in a hard-to-reach place in an industrial installation. At the moment, inspectors literally have to squeeze in all sorts of twists and turns. But in 2022, driving, walking, and flying robots could largely take over this dangerous work and perform robotized asset inspections. This became apparent during the SPRINT Robotics Fitness Challenge in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. For software company Falcker, it does not matter how the measurements are performed: it is about integrating the data into one digital platform.
Robots and drones on the rise
Ask someone with a taste for classic science fiction movies to draw a robot. There’s a good chance that something will come out on paper that resembles C3PO or R2D2 from Star Wars.
How different is the reality on the grounds of the RDM Training Plant, the setting for the two-day Robotics Fitness Challenge that took place on May 31 and June 1. Teams from all over the world show their driving, walking, and flying robots to asset managers and plant operators. But none of them resemble the robots we know from the science fiction movies of the 1980s.
For example, those present marveled at the present ‘robot dogs’ from Boston Dynamics and ANYbotics, which have a good picture of their environment thanks to their lidar and cameras. They are even able to climb stairs on their own. Also on display are the necessary drones, including the recently announced Elios 3 from Flyability and a tiltrotor from Voliro Airborne Robotics that can take measurements from all kinds of angles. Elsewhere, an FPV drone flies around, filming hard-to-reach welds at close range. Another eye-catcher is a large drone box from Percepto, from which a drone with the very latest optical gas imaging (OGI) camera carries out its gas emission inspection rounds.
Robotized asset inspections challenges
During the various challenges, the robotized inspectors are challenged to carry out wall thickness measurements, read the readings on a few pressure gauges or detect a liquid leak (oil spill). The challenge lies in the industrial setting, complete with stairs, pipelines, confined spaces, flare stacks, and platforms. The teams must perform the measurements as quickly and accurately as possible. Meanwhile, the robots also have to avoid the people present.
Convincing demos in which robots and drones show their skills
One of the asset operations specialists of a large oil company present is watching with interest.
“I am particularly surprised by the possibilities that drones offer. I just saw a drone that can take wall thickness measurements from all angles. Unbelievable.”
Still, the specialist in question thinks there is still a way to go before robots and drones can completely take over such measurements from human inspectors.
“An experienced inspector knows that the results of the measurement depend directly on how you apply the probe. It is very difficult to make consistent measurements. I wonder if a robot or drone offers the same finesse. Moreover, the practice of an operational plant is different from that of such a test environment.”
Niels Huttenhuis of process automation company Yokogawa is also impressed.
“In recent years we have seen many PowerPoint presentations from companies that claim that they can perform all kinds of measurements and inspections automatically. Today we see their solutions in practice for the first time. Many of the promises are fulfilled, especially with regard to drones. I must add that for many of our customers the technology itself is only one aspect. It all still has to be integrated into existing processes. But the fact that the teams can carry out their inspections here within one day of arrival is telling.”
Drones as front runners
It is no surprise to Duco Boer (chief information officer at Falcker) that drones make such an impression on visitors. “You see that drones are actually the front runners when it comes to moving payloads, responding contextually to the environment, and adapting their mission based on measurement data. With drones, thanks to edge computing, this is all already standard, and you can now also see that technology reflected in the robots.”
According to Boer, flying robots will eventually be able to perform most of the inspection tasks. “I think that in 80% of the cases, drones can make all the desired observations. It is very convenient to work from the air. The rest can be done by walking, driving, or even sailing robots. The crux lies in integrating and providing insight into all that data. That is exactly what we do with our Digital Asset Care Platform. We don’t care how the source data is obtained. Even one inspector who still wants to carry out a certain measurement manually can enter data via a tablet application. So there is still room for the traditional feel and smell.”
Many innovations
The SPRINT Robotics Fitness Challenge is an excellent moment for Falcker to show what the company has to offer in terms of innovations and operational support. From RT support for drone flights in the controlled airspace of Rotterdam The Hague Airport to the new OGI camera on Percepto’s autonomous drone, the agile drones of partner company Performance Rotors: the company offers tools to support asset inspections on all fronts.
Boer emphasizes that with Falcker it is ultimately about integration, by means of software. “We are basically platform agnostic. As long as a supplier of a certain system offers a link, we can connect it to our system. Our customer simply wants to be able to find all the data from the different systems on one platform and not have to use a large number of different software platforms.”
BVLOS in practice
Falcker recently received an exemption to operate BVLOS flights with Percepto’s system. That is also demonstrated. First, the system is taught in: for example, the flare stacks are designated as a no-fly zone, where the drone must stay away. Then the locations to be inspected are programmed with the desired camera angles in the form of POIs.
Carrying out the inspection round is then a matter of pressing a button. The box opens, after which the drone takes off to automatically perform the mission. An operator is watching from the mobile control room. The desired shots are taken automatically. Thanks to the new OGI camera, it is even possible to detect leaking industrial gases such as methane and sulfur hexafluoride. Afterward, the drone returns to the docking station to be recharged for the next flight.
Future of Robotized asset inspections
It doesn’t stop at the robotized performance of measurements and inspections, Boer says.
“Incorporating sensors into assets is Industry 4.0. What we are now looking at, the automated collection of data by means of drones and robots, is what I call Industry 5.0. We are moving more and more towards remotely assessed solutions, based on robotics. As far as I’m concerned, the next step is to also robotize the performance of physical tasks. Think of cleaning or painting. Personally, I am very interested in that.”
This article was commissioned by Falcker. For more information about Falcker’s products and services, visit https://falcker.com/. Text and photos: Wiebe de Jager.
This article first appeared on Dronewatch and is written by Wiebe de Jager who is also a DroneXL contributor.
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