~ Developing drive systems for autonomous maintenance robots ~
Street works carried out in England between 2022 and 2023 cost the economy some £4 billion in journey disruption. Infrastructure work is essential, but how can we minimise its impact on drivers and residents? Here, Dave Walsha, Director of Sales and Marketing at drive system supplier EMS, explores how robotics could be the solution.
Maintenance work carried out by gas, water and telecoms companies is necessary for essential services. However, these street works can cause anything from minor inconvenience to severe disruption, with speed restrictions, closed pavements and temporary traffic lights.
To address this, the Government proposed plans in 2024 to increase fines for utility companies, allowing work to overrun into weekends and bank holidays. If successful, this scheme could deter unnecessary disruption.
However, the plan misses a critical point — the speed of repairs. While fines may encourage quicker work, it risks rushed, substandard maintenance. This may result in work needing to be redone, only causing future disruptions.
A more rounded approach is needed to address infrastructure maintenance. So, what else should be considered?
Self-repairing cities
Integrating autonomous technology into maintenance processes could significantly improve rapid speeds. The University of Leeds is exploring this with its £4.2 million ‘self-repairing’ cities project, aiming to minimise street disruptions using maintenance robots.
Maintenance robots offer several advantages. For instance, repairing broken streetlamps requires specialist vehicles with crane-like mechanisms, which are limited in number, obstruct roads and pose health and safety risks to workers.
The self-repairing city concept suggests using drones stationed around cities that can be quickly dispatched to fix problems, reducing disruption and risks.
Large-scale inspection
Drones are also useful for inspection. Manual road condition surveys are time-consuming and unsafe. Eventually, cars may be able to record and transmit road condition data, but until then, drones provide a more efficient solution. Operating 24/7, they detect small cracks and potholes before the problem escalates.
Robotics can also inspect inaccessible areas. Underground water pipes in the UK lose thousands of litres each year due to cracks and leaks. In this application, robots can crawl through pipes too small for humans, conducting thorough, safe, and remote operations.
Maintenance robots can conduct systematic inspections and detect faults quicker, enabling faster and cheaper repairs. Integrating automation into utility company toolkits could be hugely advantageous, but it starts with the right robot.
Building a robot to meet demands
Whether it’s a small DC motor powering drone propellers or positioning a robotic arm, their performance depends on the drive system’s capabilities. Design engineers must consider several factors when choosing a suitable drive system for maintenance robots.
Drones must be lightweight for better power efficiency and to avoid requiring specialist flight licenses in built-up areas. Developing powerful, lightweight drones is increasingly possible, but tools needed for autonomous repairs add weight, creating further weight restrictions.
Size is another key consideration, especially for robots working in compact spaces like pipes. The drive system must be compact to reduce the overall size of the robot while still providing enough torque to perform tasks like tightening screws or applying filler paste.
Precision gearheads
Precision gearheads help maintain high torque in small spaces. These small gearboxes sit between the motor and power transfer point, slowing high motor speeds while significantly increasing available torque. They also help to improve movement control, ideal for high-precision work.
Planetary gearheads are ideal for compact applications like small maintenance robots. These use toothed planetary gears that rotate around a centrally mounted sun gear, with the number of teeth determining the reduction ratio. Planetary gearheads have more contact points thanks to the toothed gear design, making them robust with a long service life.
This access to higher torques comes with minimal drive length extension. FAULHABER offers a range of planetary gearheads distributed exclusively in the UK and Ireland by EMS. The smallest micro range gearhead has a diameter of just 3.4 millimetres, while the smallest standard gearhead is only six millimetres.
While infrastructure repair work is necessary, its social and economic impact can be significant. Updating maintenance strategies with advanced robotics can reduce the negative effects of repair work while building better, more reliable infrastructure for the future. s
