Past, present and future of robotic tunnel inspection Articles uri icon

publication date

  • November 2015

start page

  • 99

end page

  • 112

volume

  • 59

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0926-5805

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1872-7891

abstract

  • Nowadays, the vast majority of the tunnel inspection processes are performed manually by qualified operators. The process is subjective and the operators need to face very uncomfortable and even dangerous conditions such as dust environments, absence of light, or toxic substance exposition. Robotic technology can overcome many of these disadvantages and provide quality inspections collecting different types of data. This paper presents the key aspects of tunnel inspection and a survey of the developed robotic tunnel inspection systems up to date. Additionally, two projects regarding automation of the processes involved and future trends will be discussed. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

keywords

  • reinforced-concrete structures; pipe inspection; climbing robot; impact-echo; system; maintenance; thermography; resistivity; cracks