US-Tunisia Planning Visit: In-Pipe Robotic Locomotion and Path Planning

0613016 GhorbalThis规划访问奖允许博士Fathi H. Ghorbel，机械工程系，赖斯大学，休斯顿，得克萨斯州与博士Lotfi Romdhane，Ecole Nationale de Ingenieurs de Monastir，莫纳斯提尔，突尼斯，计划一个联合项目的运动和路径规划的管道机器人。 智力优势：最近，在管道内移动的机器人开始在研究界获得重要性。 例如，在石油化工和能源管道内移动的机器人代表了一种新的管道内检测手段，将彻底改变这一关键工业基础设施的健康监测和检测。 管道机器人的运动和路径规划是机器人技术发展的关键。这次访问将使Ghorbel博士和Romdhane博士能够在使用中获得机器人经验，以制定这种类型机器人的运动学和路径规划问题。这次访问将使这种互动达到研究项目制定的水平。广泛影响：除了知识交流外，此次访问还将为未来的合作奠定基础，从而在学生交流，开发新的机器人课程材料以及女性和少数民族参与该项目方面产生更广泛的影响。 该项目的工作如果成功，将对使用长管道的行业产生重大影响。

0613016 GhorbalThis planning-visit award allows Dr. Fathi H. Ghorbel, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rice University, Houston, Texas to work with Dr. Lotfi Romdhane, Ecole Nationale de Ingenieurs de Monastir, Monastir, Tunisia, to plan a joint project on the locomotion and path planning of in-pipe robots. Intellectual Merit: Recently, robots that move inside pipes started to gain importance within the research community. For example, robots moving inside petrochemical and energy pipes represent a new means of in-pipe inspection that will revolutionize the health monitoring and inspection of this critical industry infrastructure. In-pipe robotic locomotion and path planning is crucial in the advancement of this robotic technology. This visit will allow Dr. Ghorbel and Dr. Romdhane to make their robotic experiences in use to formulate the problem of the kinematics and path planning of this type of robots. The visit will allow taking this interaction to a research project formulation level. Broad Impact: Aside from the intellectual exchanges, the visit will set the stage to future collaboration leading to broader impacts in the area of student exchanges, development of new robotic coursework material, and the involvement of females and minorities in the project. The work on the project, if successful, can have significant impacts on industries that utilize long pipelines.