Verification of cleaning ability when a snake robot moves the inside of a pipe by using helical rolling motion

Abstract

One of the applications of a snake robot is to move the inside and outside of a pipe for checking and inspection by using a movement specific to a snake robot called helical rolling motion. When a snake robot moves in a pipe, it moves by rubbing it body to the inside of a pipe. It is expected to clean the interior of a pipe simultaneously with inspection the inside of a pipe. Therefore, in this study, we examined cleaning ability of a snake robot when it moves in a pipe. In the experiment, dirt was simulated by putting flour on the inside of a pipe. To evaluate the cleaning ability of a snake robot, we measure the area where the flour is left. We did two types of experiment, and it was found that sufficient cleaning ability can be expected by reciprocating a snake robot in the pipe.