This is in the “so cool, we had to report on it” department. Ever wonder what all those grown-up RC race car and truck tinkerers did when they grew up? Apparently, they started inventing pipe crawlers for companies like Envirosight. Pipeline inspection is big business – after all, when you’ve laid miles and miles of sewage or water supply line and need to check it out for inspection, the best way to do it is with a robot. In particular, we’re looking at a new mechanized pipe crawler with a 1000-ft range, integrated cameras (there are actually 3 – one for the main view, another for the cable and a third for rear-view) and bad-arse knobby wheels. It has a high-torque drive system with plenty of power – and it can turn on a dime. I want one… and then I want to make it full-size, add a seat, soup it up and make it go very fast and shoot flames… but I digress.
This new machine uses a new steerable six-wheel drive system (two of the wheels are located inside the larger 4 so they are hard to see in the photo). What Envirosight added to this unit was a much longer crawl range. The Rovver X can now go 1000 feet – and there are even options to bring that range up to 1650 feet (that’s like 1/3 mile of tunnel-crawling joy). When you look at the crawler you get the opinion that it’s quite well laid out, and simple. Sophistication isn’t in the mass of 1950’s robo-tech wires and gears – it’s in the smooth, elegance of component-based architecture (Rovver X, reel, controller/pendant). So when you look at this thing it looks like the company really knows what it’s doing.
Now before you get too excited, the crawler connects up to a reel, so video can be captured and the unit can be remotely powered and operated. I know, not quite as cool as the remote-control operated vehicle we were hoping for… but the reasons for this actually make sense. What good is inspecting a pipe if you happen to lose control over your robot and now it’s buried well within the confines of an enclosed pipe? The reel, Rovver X and pendant are actually quite portable, and so the device can easily be taken to a location and quickly deployed. The extended range is possible because the reel uses lightweight but strong cabling (about 0.03 lb./ft with 1000 lb. breaking strength). The system also monitors the cable tension continuously so as to minimize drag and prevent damage to the Rovver.
The rover is controlled by what they call a “pendant” – a simple dual joystick remote control that controls the movement and progress of the robot, while also allowing you to direct its camera. The system stores days worth of MPEG video as well as JPEG still images. It works with USB drives and can connect to ROVVER-Link to facilitate off-site testing and diagnostics and even update the machine’s firmware.
Here is a breakdown of features:
- Multi-conductor cable (1000′ with options up to 1650′, 0.03 lb./ft, 1000 lb. tension
- Twin joysticks for navigation
- Customizable touchscreen, pre-programmed macros
- Store MPEG video, JPEG photos, and log WinCan-compatible observations
- USB media support
- ROVVER-Link remote diagnostics and firmware updates
- Twice the torque/power of the standard ROVVER
- Center your view in lines up to 48″, 10′ illumination
- Simple 3-component system
- 6-wheel drive
- Auto cable management
- Options: side-scan imaging, laser dimensional scanning, lateral launch and large-diameter carriage
Is it cool? Oh yeah. Will you run out and buy one to put into your local sewer? Probably not – but I always love it when I find out that the guys who inspect sewer pipes might actually have more fun than I do. Science is a beautiful thing.
