A review of worm-like pipe inspection robots: research, trends and challenges

Abstract

In recent years, the development of worm-like robots has increased significantly. These robots use peristaltic motion comprised of radial expansion and axial elongation to move leglessly through their environments. Soft worm-like robots have the advantage of conforming to their environment, making them ideal for confined spaces such as pipelines which are essential to societal infrastructure. Pipeline contamination and corrosion can be detrimental and costly and thus regular checking is vital. Some pipes are difficult to access due to size, access restrictions and harmful waste contamination (such as in nuclear power plants). This has led to an increase of research into soft worm-like robots for pipe inspection. This review will analyse the recent progress in this area to assess current robotic capabilities and where work may be further needed to ensure they are applicable to real-world applications.