Robots Help Maintain Wind Turbines

The maintenance and inspection of wind turbines was never a topic I thought I would end up covering.

It is definitely not the sexiest of news items ever to appear on CleanTechnica (though I defy you to find something unsexier than some of the regulatory pieces we’ve covered over the past few months).

But, as with any new field of industry — and especially with new fields of energy generation — inspection and maintenance are going to be key factors in furthering development. Without efficient machinery, all the green technology in the world won’t make up for the losses in renewable generation.

Enter Helical Robotics, a robotics solutions company which is aiming to ‘change the face of industry by mitigating risk and increasing profitability through the use of robotic solutions. Specifically, they have designed the HR-MP robotic platforms which promises to improve safety and reduce liability and personnel costs (which, sadly, is a way to say fewer human-filled jobs).

The HR-MP20 is a light weight magnetic climbing robot which can be deployed in less than a minute, weighs less than 40 pounds but has a lifting capacity of 20 pounds. Its compact and versatile design allows it to be useful on a multitude of wind turbines.

“Every day, technology advances and changes the face of industry,” says Bruce Schlee, President of Helical Robotics. “These advancements drive the future of our world from better renewable energy to safer bridges and ships. Helical Robotics hopes to be part of this continuing evolution.”

Schlee continued, “Technology advances such as this will be the primary factor that determines the success of Wind Power and other renewable energies. By reducing the cost of operations and maintenance, Helical Robotics mobile platforms will make wind energy more efficient and cost competitive.”

Big claims, especially in a world recently recovering from a financial slump, with unemployment levels at all time lows across the planet. One wonders at the general perception Helical Robotics will encounter as they try to replace the workforce with robots (a long-term trend, let’s be fair, but one that dismisses one of the biggest selling points of the renewable industries’ benefits).

Helical Robotics include this specific example of the way a HR-MP20 will be able to replace regular manpower;

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Wind blade inspection for example, is accomplished by an inspector who examines the massive turbine blades from the ground, about 100 meters (328ft) away, by using a high-power telescope, or by rope access technicians using equipment similar to that of a mountain climber. Helical Robotics plans to change that by using remote-controlled, robotic devices that can scale the wind tower.

Read more . . .