Submitted by Hebi Robotics
HEBI Robotics, a spin-off of Carnegie Mellon University’s renowned Robotics Institute, is expanding its robotics offerings with MAPS, a new smart robotic tool for industrial inspection. MAPS (Modular Absolute Positioning System) makes it possible to perform fully-encoded NDT (non-destructive testing) inspections on any complex surface, faster and more reliably than conventional methods.
MAPS is a lightweight, portable, passive arm that continuously measures the full absolute position and orientation of a probe as it is moved along any surface. Thickness data from the probe is combined with positional data from MAPS to create fully-encoded scans of complex surfaces like pipe elbows, tees, reducers and nozzles. Because scans are anchored to an absolute position in the world, it allows a confident alignment and comparison of multiple inspections over time.
Verifiable and robust inspection data for assets fitness for service is critical to operating a safe and efficient facility. Manual inspections are able to target the majority of assets but lack verifiability because there is no practical way of measuring and encoding the inspection. Automated UT (AUT) systems enable collection of encoded data but are limited to simple surfaces such as straight runs of piping, tank walls and plates. HEBI’s MAPS system combines the ease and flexibility of manual inspection with the robust data collection of AUT. MAPS generates data that is fully encoded, verifiable, and opens up a new world of analysis possibilities.
MAPS is available for pre-order now, with first deliveries in Q4 2020.
HEBI Robotics was founded in 2014 by a cross-disciplinary team from the world-renowned Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. The company is a spin-out of CMU's Biorobotics Lab, led by professor Howie Choset. HEBI’s platform of modular hardware and software tools is used by dozens of global universities, researchers, and industrial partners to create custom, world-class robots quickly and easily.
HEBI's team of PhD researchers, engineers, and technicians has experience developing robotics tools for the military, sewer inspection, space flight, and the aerospace industry. Their expertise includes robotics, hardware, and software, with a core focus on motion control. https://www.hebirobotics.com/