New Zealand robotics company Invert Robotics has partnered with US aerospace non-destructive testing group NDT Solutions (NDTS) in a deal that will see its innovative robotic solution developed for aerospace applications.
New Zealand robotics company Invert Robotics has partnered with US aerospace non-destructive testing group NDT Solutions (NDTS) in a deal that will see its innovative robotic solution developed for aerospace applications.
Invert’s remotely controlled robot features a patented suction mechanism that is capable of adhering to and traversing various aircraft surfaces, such as aluminium, carbon, or glass-fibre-reinforced plastic, says the company, which started life as a spin-off from New Zealand’s University of Canterbury School of Engineering. The unique suction capability allows technicians to scan the upper and lower fuselage or wing surfaces from a remote location in both wet and dry environments.
“The unique suction technology of the Invert Robotics robot is a key differentiator, highly relevant to aircraft due to its ability to operate on non-magnetic surfaces, whether aluminium or composite,” says John Blair, executive director aviation at Invert Robotics.
“This eliminates the many disadvantages of other robotic applications which have historically been bulky and enormously expensive,” he adds. Invert’s robot and associated equipment weigh just 23kg and are easily transportable, enabling deployment outside at airports, even aircraft at the gate as well as in adverse weather conditions.
The robot is equipped with a high-resolution camera to visualise and document surface conditions by transmitting video images to a ground-based screen for analysis by the technician.
Under the partnership with NDTS, the US group will further extend the capabilities of the robot by adding functionality such as ultrasound, eddy current, thermography and other inspection modalities, all of which will reduce the labour required, improve safety and minimise tedious inspection processes, allowing technicians to focus on more complex tasks, says Invert.
Invert, which started in the dairy industry conducting checks of dairy plants and later moving into the petroleum and energy industries, has been talking to airlines and maintenance, repair and overhaul companies worldwide to identify and develop specific capabilities of the robot to enhance its utility in aviation, says Blair.
“Some of these make the robot more user-friendly, reducing training needs and others expand the scope of inspection and tasks the robot can support, particularly applying [non-destructive testing (NDT)] technologies,” he adds.
The company is already working with Air France Industries KLM Engineering and Maintenance on a trial programme in using the robot to reach areas of the fuselage that are difficult for technicians, or for use in complex or repetitive tasks.
Invert expects the partnership with NDTS to allow it to make further progress in the aerospace industry.
“The partnership with NDTS provides for coordinated marketing of both the robot and the NDT tools in which NDTS has an established expertise and aviation market presence. The robot and each NDT technology are highly complementary and a combined package is already attracting strong interest,” says Blair.
Much of the focus on new inspection technology to date in aerospace has been on drones, notes Blair, but these have restrictions, relating to safety regulations, weather conditions and their inability to have physical contact.
“Invert Robotics foresees a future for aircraft maintenance in which drones and robots interact on visual inspection tasks,” he says, adding: “Drones can perform an initial fast sweep, identifying areas for closer visual or NDT inspection by robot.”
