Tunnel Structural Inspection and Assessment Using an Autonomous Robotic System

摘要

Tunnels play a fundamental role within the context of infrastructures for transportation, services, and general purposes. Processes of tunnel structural inspection and assessment must be performed to assure their correct functionality. These processes are currently performed in person, by human qualified operators, in uncomfortable and even dangerous conditions such as dusty environments, absence of light, or toxic substance exposition. This chapter presents the ROBO-SPECT European FP7 project, funded under the ICT-2013.2.2 program on robotics use cases and accompanying measures, a robotized alternative to manual tunnel structural inspection and assessment. With an automated robotic system, the aim is to detect cracks, other defects, and a general structural assessment. Physical developments of the project include the design and implementation of an autonomous multidegree-of-freedom robotic system composed of a mobile vehicle, an extended crane, and a high-precision robotic arm. Sensory input to the structural inspection and assessment includes a high-resolution multi-camera system, as well as an ultrasonic sensor robotic tool to measure width and depth of detected cracks. Experimental evidence and details on validation in a real motorway tunnel with ongoing traffic will be provided.