A low-cost robotic inspection platform for remote operation in aggressive environments

在恶劣的环境中进行检查既耗时又危险，而且成本高昂。我们将通过开发基于Cadcan正在申请专利的新型3D成像技术的低成本自主机器人平台来解决这一问题。它采用多光源相移技术，只需一组LED、一个印刷掩模和一个摄像头，就可以廉价地捕捉到高分辨率图像。传感系统将帮助机器人导航，并构建环境的详细调查。在恶劣环境限制使用寿命的情况下，降低平台成本是一个重要的推动因素。在福岛反应堆事故中，辐射导致所有5台清理机器人的线路出现故障(开发费用为5000万美元)。降低成本还意味着可以同时部署多个机器人，合作调查环境的速度比单独的单位快得多。我们将主要关注陆基平台，尽管传感器也适用于无人机。我们的目标是改变比赛，让检查达到极限。

Inspection in aggressive environments is time-consuming, dangerous and expensive. We will address this by developing a low-cost, autonomous robot platform based on Cadscan’s novel, patent-pending 3D imaging technology. This uses multi-illuminator phase-shifting to capture high resolution imagery inexpensively using just an array of LEDs, a printed mask and a camera. The sensing system will help navigate the robot and to construct a detailed survey of the environment. Making the platform low cost is an important enabler when harsh environments limit operational lifetime. In the Fukushima reactor incident radiation caused the wiring on all 5 clean-up robots to fail (dev cost $50m.) Lowering costs also means that multiple robots can be deployed simultaneously, cooperating to survey the environment much faster than individual units. We will focus primarily on ground-based platforms, although the sensor is suitable for drones too. We aim to change the game and take inspection to the limit.