A Repair Robot System for Automated Bridge Maintenance

Abstract

Manual crack repairing operations under bridge decks are time-consuming and hazardous. Replacing the manual operations with an automated or teleoperated robot system is therefore of great interest for improved safety, quality, and productivity. This paper presents a prototype repair robot system which has been developed for automated bridge maintenance. The repair robot system consists of a robot platform mounted on the tip of the working boom of the articulated crane robot developed by the Bridge Inspection Robot Development Interface (BIRDI) in Hanyang University at Ansan. The repair robot platform can position itself under bridge decks and perform crack repairing operations. The robot system can allow an operator to tele-operate the entire crack repairing procedures. The paper discusses the capabilities and limitations of the prototype repair robot and provides an outlook for the further development of the automated maintenance technologies by robots.