Houdini: Locomotion analysis-driven design of an in-tank mobile cleanup robot

Abstract

This paper describes the design and locomotion analysis efforts to develop a new reconfigurable and collapsible working machine, dubbed Houdini, to remotely clean up hazardouswaste and petroleum storage tanks. The tethered robot system is designed to allow remote entry through man-way openings as small as 0.61 m (24 in.) in diameter, after which it expands its locomotors and opens up its collapsible backhoe/manipulator and plow to subsequently perform waste- or product-handling operations. The design is optimized to meet stringent site and safety requirements and represents a viable alternative to the long-reach manipulation systems proposed for hazardous storage tank cleanup and confined-entry manual cleanup approaches. The system development has been funded to provide waste mobilization and removal solutions for the hazardous-waste storage tanks in the U.S. Department of Energy Fernald complex. Another potential application is the cleanup of heavy-crude petroleum storage tanks. The Houdini concept has been submitted to the U.S. Patent Office, and a patent has been issued (patent number pending), which Carnegie Mellon University is currently in the process of licensing to RedZone Robotics, the industrial prime contractor we are subcontracted to. We are developing a fully operational prototype for demonstration at Fernald in the winter of 1996.