We were also able to give it perfect mobility in right-angle bends by means of a design adaptation. This makes recovery possible, an important aspect in industrial use. For this situation, we let the Snakebot relax completely. It can then be retracted backwards, even through those rightangled bends". TOO BIG "Nicolò wanted more space for sensors, but a bigger robot in this case does not mean that you can take more luggage with you. More sensors mean more weight. And this robot has to climb with that extra weight. More weight means that more grip is needed. This extra friction against the walls can only be created with a stronger motor and this in turn means more weight. Everything scales up and before you know it, your robot snake is too big for the pipe. Space versus the demands you make, that's the big challenge". FURTHER DEVELOPMENT "It will mean that in the future we will be limited by the diameter of the pipeline and gravity when determining what 25 inspections can be carried out. We are now focusing on optimal mobility with sensors for autonomous movement. Then we continue with localisation and navigation. The next step is to determine which method of wall thickness measurement is desirable in the industry, and what we can offer via the Snakebot. And then we will look into the user interface for the inspector. SWISS WATCH "A robot 50 centimetres long, with 500 precision parts, that's a Swiss watch that crawls through a tube. We've built a new prototype step by step that incorporates all the new knowledge" Iwan concludes.
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