Bridge risk investigation diagnostic grouped exploratory (BRIDGE) bot

Abstract

BRIDGE bot is a 158 g, 10.7 × 8.9 × 6.5 cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sup> , magnetic-wheeled robot designed to traverse and inspect steel bridges. Utilizing custom magnetic wheels, the robot is able to securely adhere to the bridge in any orientation. The body platform features flexible, multi-material legs that enable a variety of plane transitions as well as robot shape manipulation. The robot is equipped with a Cortex-M0 processor, inertial sensors, and a modular wireless radio. A camera is included to provide images for detection and evaluation of identified problems. The robot has been demonstrated moving through plane transitions from 45° to 340° as well as over obstacles up to 9.5 mm in height. Preliminary use of sensor feedback to improve plane transitions has also been demonstrated.