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A project in the UK has successfully tested an amphibious robot capable of working in teams to clean and inspect the monopiles supporting offshore wind turbines above and below the water (writes Nick Flaherty). The iFrog, developed by InnoTecUK, can climb up a monopole to inspect the steel and welds; it can also operate down to 60 m at a pressure of 6 bar. Teams of iFrog robots will be able to clean away corrosion, seaweed and so on before inspecting the surfaces and conducting pre-emptive checks of weld integrity. The robots use electromagnets to move up and down the steel monopiles, not just vertically but also on a diagonal. Two robots demonstrated working as a team above and below the waterline. The first robot performed corrosion mapping and water-jet cleaning of the monopile. The second inspected weld lines to assess integrity and flag up potential defects. A cable tether provides power and control data to the system, while a separate cable feeds high- resolution images back to an operator to assess the condition of the monopile. Location data is shared with other iFrog systems via the controller so that the teams can operate underwater, where radio links don’t work. The trial followed three years of development. Avoiding the need for divers saves £150,000 per offshore wind turbine per year. The robots can also be used to inspect oil and gas rigs, ship hull manufacturing and maintenance, military and other large structures both on and off land. Study spawns tower teams Maritime vehicles The iFrog uses magnets to climb and inspect the turbine towers What do robotics and Rajant’s network have in common? Intelligence. Autonomy. Freedom to Move . That’s why Rajant Kinetic Mesh® is the choice to deliver mission-critical connectivity for the most mobile autonomous vehicles, drones, and robotics platforms. Autonomously self-optimizing network intelligently reacts to change in real-time Works peer-to-peer to maintain ‘never break’ mobility, even at high speeds The only private wireless solution enabling machine-to-machine communications Learn more at rajant.com/unmannedsystems Industrial Wireless Networks Unleashed. IF IT’S MOVING, IT’S RAJANT.