Interest in renewable energy sources, including wind turbines, continues to skyrocket. The industry may also be fueled by the recently unveiled, beetle-like, six-legged BladeBUG robot designed to inspect the blades of wind farms.
When outdoors, wind turbines are subjected to tremendous stress from the effects of weather, ranging from high winds and storms to extreme temperatures. To maintain their performance, careful monitoring is necessary in order to detect even the smallest damage. Until now, all this has been done by special teams of high-altitude technicians.
A possible alternative to this risky job is to use robots like BladeBUG. It moves along the turbine blades with the help of six paws with vacuum suction cups, simultaneously scanning their surface for cracks and deformations.
Testing of the robot was initially carried out onshore, but recently with the assistance of offshore energy company Ore Catapult, they have continued on the high seas. The goal of the project is to demonstrate the capabilities of fully automated inspection and repair of offshore wind turbines. New technologies are expected to be tested in practice in mid-2021.
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