Making Science Fiction an Engineering Reality Using Biologically Inspired Technologies

摘要

For many years, the trend has been to automate processes in order to increase the efficiency of performing redundant tasks. Realizing that some parts are too complex to inspect with a simple automatic system robotic mechanisms were developed to perform the necessary complex tasks. Lab and field scanners have emerged with significant capabilities where manipulators and crawlers were developed for rapid and reliable inspection. One of the limiting factors that hampered the wide use of robotics for inspection of aircraft and other complex structures has been the economical aspect of handling small quantities of complex parts. Biologically inspired autonomous robots can potentially address the need to inspect structures with configuration that are not predetermined and with quality assessment that requires human-like judgment. The operation of these robots may take place at harsh or hazardous environments that are too dangerous for human presence. Making such robots with capabilities that used to be considered science fiction or wishful thinking is increasingly becoming an engineering reality. This paper reviews the state of the art and challenges to some of the biologically inspired technologies and the potential impact on the field of NDE.