Conceptual manipulator design for limited access workspaces

Abstract

Robotic manipulators for limited access workspaces, or LAWS robots, must operate in unalterable, confined environments accessed through constrictive portals. The characteristics of these robots distinguish them from the currently accepted classes of industrial robots and field robots and evoke a particular design strategy. Special consideration must be given to the ability of the LAWS manipulator to service a target workspace while constrained within the boundaries of a confined environment. The limited access to the environment also imposes restrictions on the size and shape of the manipulator. This thesis characterizes LAWS robots and develops a strategy for designing them. This strategy is then applied to the design of a LAWS robot for steam generator maintenance in nuclear power plants. The calibration of a LAWS robot is also discussed. Applications for robots that can operate in limited access workspaces exist in the nuclear, construction, mining, and medical industries, among others. This thesis provides, for the first time, a specific set of guidelines to aid in the design of such robots.