Will Eakins

AbbVie (United States), ABB (Switzerland)

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Will Eakins is a robotics engineer whose work focuses on developing specialized robotic systems for extreme industrial environments, particularly in mining and heavy machinery. His research addresses the critical need for automation in hazardous, hard-to-reach settings where human intervention is risky or inefficient. Eakins’s most influential contribution is the design of a rail-guided robotic vehicle for conveyor belt inspection in mining, which integrates mechanics, electronics, and embedded controls to enable reliable condition monitoring in harsh conditions (17 citations). He also pioneered a portable lead-through teaching device for industrial robots, simplifying the programming of complex maneuvers beyond traditional joystick control (12 citations). Further demonstrating his versatility, Eakins developed a modular, reconfigurable air-gap crawler for in-situ inspection of motors and generators, allowing on-site adaptation to different machine geometries (9 citations). His work on an automatic tire-changing system for massive mining trucks, using a robotic parallel platform, tackles a frequent, labor-intensive, and dangerous operation. Across these projects, Eakins consistently advances practical, deployable automation that enhances safety and efficiency in heavy industry.