Learn more about robotic inspection by reading the July 2021 digital edition of Materials Evaluation free online. This special technical focus issue, guest edited by Ehsan Dehghan-Niri, Ph.D., of New Mexico State University, provides an overview of recent advancements in robotic inspection for nondestructive testing (NDT), including the use of drones, crawlers, and automated systems.
Robotics is an interdisciplinary field within science and engineering. Starting with the first simple robots that were used on the factory floor, this field has evolved to the extent that modern robotics directly or indirectly affect many aspects of our routine lives. This integration has led the global market for robots to boom; experts expect it to grow at a rate of more than 25%, reaching around US$210 billion by 20251.
“During the past decades, the application of robotics in medical and military fields has advanced significantly; however, the use of robotics in other critical fields, such as nondestructive testing (NDT), is still in the initial stages,” says Dehghan-Niri in the issue’s introduction. “The key challenge in the application of robotics for the NDT of complex components with sophisticated materials, limited accessibility, and complex shapes and geometries is to integrate sensing, mobility, and effective data-driven algorithms reliably in a robotic platform that can adjust its control strategy based on NDT needs.”
This issue aims to introduce readers to recent developments and accomplishments in robotic inspection technologies, including innovations where biological systems found in nature (such as lizards and earthworms) have inspired the pioneering of integrated mobility and sensing.
The contributed papers are:
- “Automated Robotic Systems for Nondestructive Testing of Aerospace Composite Structures” by Barry A. Fetzer
- “Aerial Robots for Contact-Based Ultrasonic Thickness Measurements for Field Inspections” by Robert (Bob) Dahlstrom
- “Integrating Electromagnetic Acoustic Transducers in a Modular Robotic Gripper for Inspecting Tubular Components” by Hamidreza Nemati, Fernando Alvidrez, Ankit Das, Nihar Masurkar, Manoj Rudraboina, Hamid Marvi, and Ehsan Dehghan-Niri
- “Development of an Innovative Inspection Tool for Superheater Tubes in Fossil Fuel Power Plants” by Caique Lara, Julie Villamil, Anthony Abrahao, Aparna Aravelli, Guilherme Daldegan, Sharif Sarker, Daniel Martinez, and Dwayne McDaniel
- “AI-Enabled Robotic NDE for Structural Damage Assessment and Repair” by Xiaodong Shi, Anthony Olvera, Ciaron Hamilton, Erzhuo Gao, Jiaoyang Li, Lucas Utke, Andrew Petruska, Zhenzhen Yu, Lalita Udpa, Yiming Deng, and Hao Zhang
To read the full issue, go to https://mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=44954&l=1
1Statista, 2021, “Size of the Global Market for Industrial and Non-Industrial Robots between 2018 and 2025,” https://www.statista.com/statistics/760190/worldwide-robotics-market-revenue
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Jill Ross is ASNT periodicals editor and lead editor of Materials Evaluation; email jross@asnt.org.