The inchworm-like robot is being designed to conduct inspections and even some repairs inside jet engines while they are still on the wing.
GE is developing a tiny robot to enable less invasive and more accurate inspection and repair of jet engines while they are still on the wing.
Dubbed the Sensiworm (Soft ElectroNics Skin-Innervated Robotic Worm), GE says this highly intelligent, acutely sensitive soft robot could serve as an extra set of eyes and ears inside the engine for aerospace service operators.
This type of maintenance is costly and time consuming, as operators use highly advanced inspection instruments like a video borescope that provide extremely valuable inspection data but are limited in overall turbine coverage because gravity can cause the tip to naturally settle when not braced against a structure within the engine, giving an incomplete picture of any issues.
Deploying self-propelling, compliant robots that can slither into an opening and slide through voids and crevices within the engine itself will allow maintainers to perform inspections without having to disassemble the engine.
“With mini-robot companions like Sensiworm, service operators would have multiple additional sets of eyes and ears to perform on-wing inspections,” said Deepak Trivedi, Principal Robotics Engineer, GE Aerospace Research. “With their soft, compliant design, they could inspect every inch of a jet engine, transmitting live video and real-time data about the condition of parts. Sensiworm can even measure the thickness of thermal barrier coatings.”
The engineers’ primary focus is on the inspection of engines, but Trivedi says they are developing new capabilities that would allow these robots to actually execute some repairs once they find a defect.
Sensiworm was developed with funding and support through SEMI Flex Tech, an industry-led public/private partnership focused on advancing innovative hybrid electronics developments funded by the US Army Research Lab. GE also partnered with Binghamton University, which is home to a Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM), and UES, Inc., an Ohio-based research and development organization that works with commercial and military partners.
“Our partnership with SEMI Flex Tech, Binghamton University, and UES has provided an incredible platform to accelerate the development of our Sensiworm robot,” Trivedi said. “We still have more developments ahead with Sensiworm. But the early results from our demonstrations show that we indeed have real ‘skin in the game’ when it comes to deploying future robotic solutions in aircraft engine services.”
Trivedi explained that innovative in-situ and highly intelligent robotic platforms like Sensiworm are a key technical capability required for performing more robust on-wing inspections in the future. This can reduce unnecessary removals and downtime and enable faster turnaround times to keep engines at peak operational availability.
Electronic Skin
Sensiworm is a highly compliant (made of soft materials instead of rigid materials) robot that resembles an inchworm. Judging from images in GE’s video, Sensiworm appears to be about five inches in length, though it could likely be made longer if required. It has some level of autonomy to detect and avoid obstacles and is able to move across complex curvatures and rotating surfaces upside down—against gravity and the G-forces generated by rotation. It moves using two suction “feet” that keep it attached to these surfaces. Sensiworm has onboard sensors that can “sniff” out gas leaks but can also operate tethered to a control system. It’s stretchable, electronic skin has multiparameter sensing for both control and inspection.
Watch a video of Sensiworm on GE Research’s YouTube channel.
It moves easily on and around the various crevasses and curves of jet engine parts to look for cracks and corrosion. In lab demonstrations, Sensiworm has accurately inspected and measured the thickness of thermal barrier coatings on engine parts to determine if parts are maintaining the proper thickness.
The robot can be deployed through the turbine inlet or exhaust of an engine and provide coverage of parts of the turbine that would otherwise be missed using traditional borescopes, bespoke robotic devices, or snake platforms using conventional port access points.
