SBIR Phase I: Robotic Systems for Network Interrogation of Smart Civil Structures

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目旨在开发一种自主机器人结构检测系统，该系统能够远程供电，从嵌入式传感节点网络收集数据，并通过互联网提供远程数据访问。该系统将利用现有的微型、多通道、无线、可编程的可寻址传感模块（ASM）从各种传感器采集数据。这些感应供电节点不需要电池或互连引线，这大大提高了它们的整体可靠性并降低了安装成本。传感节点网络可以嵌入、查询和远程访问，在应用程序中，由于物理空间限制、偏远的地理位置、高检查成本和执行检查的高风险，人们无法进行目视检查。传感器可以指示需要维修、更换或加固，这将减少灾难性故障的风险，并且在地震、飓风、龙卷风和洪水等自然灾害之后非常有用。互联网上关键结构健康数据的可用性将极大地帮助公路工程师和科学家改善他们关于这些结构的工作数据库，这将提高我们对土木结构安全性及其必要维护的理解。如果成功，市场潜力将是巨大的，因为各种任务特定的机器人可以与系统一起用于远程检查和互联网数据传输，从广泛的结构，如：桥梁，桥梁基础，水坝，海上石油钻井平台，建筑物，危险废物处理场所和核电站。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is aimed at developing an autonomous robotic structural inspection system capable of remote powering and data collection from a network of embedded sensing nodes, and providing remote data access via the internet. The system will utilize existing microminiature, multichannel , wireless, programmable Addressable Sensing Modules (ASM's) to sample data from a variety of sensors. These inductively powered nodes do not require batteries or interconnecting lead wires, which greatly enhances their overall reliability and reduces their installation cost. Networks of sensing nodes can be embedded, interrogated, and remotely accessed in applications where visual inspection by people is not practical due to: physical space constraints, remote geographic locations, high inspection costs, and high risks involved for those performing the inspections. The sensors can indicate the need for repair, replacement, or reinforcement, which will reduce the risks of catastrophic failures and would be useful after natural disasters, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and floods. The availability of critical structural health data on the internet would greatly assist highway engineers and scientists, to improve their working database on these structures, which will improve our understanding of the safety of civil structures and their requisite maintenance.If successful, market potential could be significant, as various task-specific robots can be employed with the systems for remote inspection and internet data delivery from a broad spectrum of structures, such as: bridges, bridge footings, dams, offshore oil rigs, buildings, hazardous waste sites, and nuclear power plants.