Adaptive Soft Robot for Complex Industrial Pipeline Environments

Abstract

The complex industrial pipeline environment in modern society poses severe challenges to traditional rigid inspection robots in terms of environmental adaptability, body flexibility, and the robot's own motion performance. Traditional rigid robots struggle to perform efficient and precise inspection tasks, making research on adaptive soft robots highly important. This paper reviews various soft robots with different drive modes (pneumatic, electric, etc.) and analyzes the effectiveness and feasibility of intelligent control algorithms on robot drive. In addition, this paper provides an in-depth analysis of the practical applications of soft robots in real-world scenarios such as petrochemical pipelines and municipal drainage systems. It also discusses the technical difficulties these robots may face in the field, such as operational endurance, work accuracy and body coordination under extreme environments, and environmental adaptability. The goal of this paper is to enhance the operational capabilities of these robots in pipeline environments and assist relevant personnel in conducting inspection, maintenance, and repair more effectively.