Abstract
To avoid leakages in pipelines, efficient robotic pipe inspections are required, and to this date, various types of in-pipe robots have been developed. A screw drive mechanism with only one actuator has been proposed for an in-pipe robot to pass through straight and elbow pipes. Based on this screw drive mechanism, we developed a robot that can select pathways together executing in-pipe locomotion with only two motors. The robot has three locomotion modes: screw driving mode, steering mode, and rolling mode, which enable it pass in not only straight and elbow pipes but also T-branches. This paper presents the mechanism of the robot and its primary experimental results.
