Robotic Non-Destructive Testing of Manmade Structures: A Review of the Literature

TL;DR

This review paper discusses how robots are increasingly used for non-destructive testing of manmade structures, highlighting methods, advantages, real-world applications, and ongoing challenges to mainstream adoption.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of robotic NDT applications, methods, and current progress, emphasizing the need for continued development to achieve mainstream use.

Findings

Robotic NDT can detect invisible damage like corrosion and impact in structures.

Robots offer advantages over humans in inspection tasks.

Current progress shows increasing real-world applications of robotic NDT.

Abstract

This literature review investigates how robots can be used for the maintenance of manmade structures, such as pipes, reinforced concrete decks, and space stations as a sampling of the broad spectrum of robotic non-destructive testing (NDT) applications. Robotic NDT can be used to find plaque in pipes, corrosion in steel buildings, and impact damage in space stations, which would normally be invisible to the eye. After inspection, the inspected material is preserved in its original condition. The paper's structure is as follows: first, the definition of NDT is elaborated upon with the discussion of specific methods that will be used in the inspection of the structures mentioned above. Second, an explanation follows on why robots are suited to inspection, specifically focusing on robots' advantages over humans. Third, three real-world examples notify the reader of current progress in robot NDT. Lastly, a summary of robot problems serves as a reminder that testing and development must continue for robot NDT to become mainstream.