The pipeline inspection robot

The pipeline inspection robot, jointly developed by the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), the Institute of Spacecraft System Engineering, and the Beijing Satellite Manufacturing Factory Co, Ltd, has recently completed the first international in-orbit test on the Chinese space station.

The robot's adaptability to the pipeline environment, variable stiffness motion safety and overall performance are at the forefront of such technology internationally.

The space station pipelines have large diameter spans, abrupt changes, discontinuities and extremely complex structures, making it a major challenge for robots to adapt to and autonomously navigate through them. When the inspection robot moves inside the pipelines, it must ensure that it does not damage them through excessively forceful contacts with the walls, and it must also avoid getting stuck in the pipelines in unexpected power outages or other emergencies.

After eight years of technical research and development, the Space Bionics Robot Team from BIT's School of Mechatronical Engineering has successfully solved the challenges it faced in space station pipeline inspection through the exploration of three generations of pipeline inspection robot technology.

The schematic diagram of the legged scissor-like telescopic mechanism

The team has innovatively designed a legged scissor-like telescopic mechanism that combines active and passive elements. This design allows the robot to adapt to the complex space station pipelines while ensuring the safety of the pipelines.

By addressing the challenges of autonomous adaptation to the complex environment of space station pipelines and ensuring movement safety, the team has overcome two major obstacles in space station pipeline inspection.

The in-orbit test of the pipeline inspection robot conducted this time is the first such test of a special-purpose robot for cabin operations in China's space station.

It has verified key technologies, such as the design of robots for pipelines with large diameter ratios and the multilevel coordinated full-body motion control to adapt to various complex pipelines. The test has demonstrated the robot's autonomous adaptive motion abilities and safety in the complex environment of the space station pipelines, accumulating valuable experience for future practical applications in space station pipelines.

In the future, BIT will further enhance the operational capabilities of pipeline robots to better serve the operation of China's space station.