ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE COVER STORY Cleaning up Sydney Harbour Bridge
Using the Sydney Harbour Bridge as an example, Australian robotics specialists have highlighted how service robots will soon revolutionise the way steel structures are serviced. The robust lightweight robotic systems are planned to go into production at the end of 2014. At their core is a lightweight arm designed by SCHUNK
he idea of automating the cleaning of steel structures was born in Sydney about seven years ago, under the direction of professor Di-kai Liu, and in cooperation with NSW Roads and Maritime Services, the Centre for Autonomous Systems (Department of Engineering and Information Technology) at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS). These parties developed an automated sandblasting robot for servicing steel bridges. Today, SABRE Autonomous Solutions is responsible for pre-commercial implementation.
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INCREASED PROVISION After a successful testing stage, the sandblasting robot has become part of the standard equipment used by the maintenance team of the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Incorporating 52,800 tonnes of steel, it is one of the heaviest and largest steel arch bridges in the world and, as with any steel bridge, must be continuously maintained and protected against corrosion. This includes sandblasting and repainting 485,000m2
of steel, or about 68
football fields. A single coat requires about 30,000 litres of paint. Rosie and Sandy, the two blasting robots, tirelessly blast dirt, rust and old paint from the steel girders. While some of the workers have to take a break every 15-30 minutes due to the extreme physical strain, the two powerful robots can continue without interruption - much more persistently, quickly and precisely than a human ever could. The robots take about 50 minutes to complete a segment. Using a Kinect sensor and special algorithms, a mapping system calculates the sandblaster’s exact path, preventing collisions. The operators, in turn, monitor the sandblasting process from a safe distance. Since the two service robots have been
in operation, the safety, cost effectiveness and quality of the sandblasting work has risen markedly. Greg Peters, engineering design manager at SABRE Autonomous Solutions, said, “Due to the fatigue while sandblasting, even experienced workers are unable to achieve such consistent results.” The
8 MARCH 2014 | AUTOMATION
lightweight robot is manually positioned on a simple rail system. It then automatically scans the steel structure, generating a 3D map. The work begins once the operator initiates the sandblasting process by remote control.
TAKING A POUNDING The core of both sandblasting robots is a LWA 4 lightweight arm with very high load capacity designed by SCHUNK. Secured under a protective cover, the lightweight arms remain unaffected by rust, dust and humidity, as well as the vibrations and shifting stresses of sandblasting. To change location, the
Below: sandblasting is extremely strenuous and workers have to take a break every 15-30 minutes due to the extreme physical strain
flexibly. Integrated intelligence, universal communication interfaces, and data transmission and power supply cable technology allow the lightweight arm to be integrated quickly and easily into existing control concepts. It can also be controlled by embedded PCs. The individual modules can also be easily controlled using the CAN interface that comes as standard in all LWAs, with optional speed or power control. The lightweight arm is energy efficient due to its lightweight, rigid design, which pays dividends in mobile applications in the form of long run-times. Whereas before sandblasting required
teams of up to three workers as well as significant safety precautions, on the Sydney Harbour Bridge one operator controls and monitors up to two robots. Hazardous, physically strenuous and, at times, even harmful routine tasks are almost entirely performed by robots. Once a robot finishes a segment, a worker takes the blaster gun and sees to the more complicated detailed work. The payback period for the robot system is around two years. SABRE is currently developing another mobile sandblasting
robot can either move along the tracks to another location on-site, or be dismantled into compact units and taken away by hand. The combination of mobility, robustness, power and lightweight construction make the LWA a multi-functional helper in service robotics. A consistently high repeat accuracy of +/-0.1mm provides optimal conditions for precise operations. The lightweight robot is both portable i.e. movable, as well as mobile. It can carry a maximum load of 15kg. Its modular design allows the number of degrees of freedom, drive power, and type and length of spacers and joints to be freely defined. Since the boosters and drive control system are directly embedded in the lightweight arm, the system does not require a separate control cabinet. Instead, the entire control and regulator electronics are integrated into the joint drives. Position, speed and torque can be regulated
Above: the sandblasting robot for mobile use has a maximum weight
of 65kg
robot in addition to those used for bridges, weighing a maximum of 65kg and that can be easily transported and used for numerous other applications. The central element of this new robot is also an LWA lightweight arm by SCHUNK.
Schunk Intec
www.gb.schunk.com T: 01908 611 127
Enter 200 /AUTOMATION
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