Collaborative Robotic Systems for Efficient Confined Space Inspections

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120-130, which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services, including export of sensitive technical data, or the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), 15 CFR Parts 730-774, which controls dual use items. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country(ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s) in accordance with section 3.5 of the Announcement. Offerors are advised foreign nationals proposed to perform on this topic may be restricted due to the technical data under US Export Control Laws. OBJECTIVE: Research, develop, and validate a collaborative robotic system that enables workers to perform inspections and potentially maintenance within hard to access and/or dangerous environments within aircraft wings or other confined spaces. This process should reduce the overall wing fuel tank inspection time while also minimizing the need for humans to enter confined spaces. The system must work in direct collaboration with its human operator, allowing for it to operate in a wide array of unstructured environments. DESCRIPTION: Current inspection methods of aircraft wing fuel tanks are labor-intensive, requiring technicians to manually enter ventilated, yet cramped and hazardous spaces. The physical constraints of these spaces limit the availability of qualified personnel and extend maintenance timelines, impacting operational readiness. At the same time, they are under intense time pressure to carry out their work on complex systems which can further exacerbate labor shortages, quality, and availability. There is a large opportunity to minimize the need for humans to enter confined spaces, and ultimately to prevent entry all together, through the use of collaborative robotics. This, in turn, will shorten the time required for wing inspections while increasing worker safety. Robotic systems have previously demonstrated potential for aircraft inspections in places like wings. Many of these systems, however, require extensive setup and training to operate. Furthermore, their designs require extensive support equipment within their bases or tethered nearby, limiting the places they can operate in and decreasing their total reach into a given system. Collaborative robots have shown promise in unstructured and dynamic environments like aircraft maintenance. Combining a human operator's ability to rapidly navigate most of the distance to an inspection site with a portable, reconfigurable robotic system that extends the operator's reach will provide the adaptability needed to perform inspections in a wide range of unstructured environments in the depot and beyond. An innovative robotic system is desirable that can navigate the complex internal structures of aircraft wings, performing comprehensive inspections while reducing the overall time needed for completion based on existing methods. This system should be able to be carried and operated by a single worker, allowing them to insert it with a camera or other desired sensor through a service port. It should move within the wing to inspect the inner cavities. The robotic platform should also be capable of rapid mounting to a surface, such as an access hatch door panel or other similar features, to perform inspections without the need for an operator. PHASE I: For this topic, the Government expects that the Offeror has developed and validated a prototype that addresses, at a minimum, the ability to perform confined space inspections in a relative environment. Previous work submitted within the feasibility documentation must have been substantially performed by the Offeror and/or the Principal Investigator (PI). PHASE II: Develop working prototype of the collaborative robotic system to be used by a single human operator to collect visual inspection information within a wing that can withstand an aircraft maintenance environment. Obtain a TRL 7 based on Air Force standards and ready to test in an operational environment. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: If the Phase II is successful in developing the technology, the ALC will purchase technology using organization (working capital) funds. The scope should be to refine hardware and software to increase usability and reliability. Achieve production-ready state for marketing to the Air Force, other related federal agencies, and private industries involved in all manners of production or manufacturing. REFERENCES: 1. Maddox, M. FAA Human Factors Guide for Aviation Maintenance and Inspection. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved from https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/about/initiatives/maintenance_hf/training_tools/HF_Guide.pdf; 2. Jordan, Holly. Robotic Arm Tool Poised to Save Costly Inspection Time. Air Force Research Laboratory. 19 Feb. 2017. https://www.hill.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/1088209/robotic-arm-tool-poised-to-save-costly-inspection-time/; 3. Othman U, Yang E. Human-Robot Collaborations in Smart Manufacturing Environments: Review and Outlook. Sensors (Basel). 17 Jun. 2023. 23(12):5663. doi: 10.3390/s23125663 KEYWORDS: Collaborative Snake-Like Robot; Confined Space Robotics