In situ monitoring of defects in steel structures using a robot-assisted ultrasonic inspection technique

Incidents in extreme environments can bring unprecedented consequences that would endanger the lives of many humans. Real-time and early detection of cracks and defects in the steel used for the construction of industrial sites can bring many benefits to remote operators and site managers. Although different methods and systems have been proposed in the past, they are not suitable for real-time fault detection or long-term operation in harsh environments. Therefore, this paper proposes a low-power robotic platform with a magnetic actuator mechanism which is capable of wireless inspection of steel structures using the ultrasonic method. The proposed magnetic motion uses the inertia force generated by the piston vibration and the difference in frictional force during movement. The paper evaluates the performance of the steel structure defect detection system from four different perspectives: sensing principle, wireless communication network, driving part, and power supply.