On September 2, Beijing's first on-site field test of intelligent robot-based inspection for special equipment was successfully completed in Fengtai District.

The intelligent robot moves autonomously along the outer wall of a pressure vessel, continuously scanning the equipment's surface.

[Photo via the Fengtai District Administration for Market Regulation]

At the test site, the intelligent robot moved smoothly and autonomously along the outer wall of a pressure vessel. Its high-precision inspection probe automatically collected data of the wall's thickness, which was transmitted and stored in real time to fully reconstruct the wall-thickness condition of the equipment. The traditional manual approach, which relies on measurements made at selected sampling points, was replaced by continuous robot scanning.

As a result, this approach has been proven to effectively eliminate blind spots in detection and greatly improve data accuracy. Meanwhile, the success means that inspection operations no longer require extensive scaffold erection or high-altitude climbing by personnel, and confined-space operations can be avoided. This cuts preparation time, reduces corporate operation and maintenance costs, lowers the workload of inspectors, and eliminates high-risk safety hazards including falls from height and confined-space operation risks at the source.

As the first field test of its kind in Beijing, the test marks a key step in Fengtai District's digital and intelligent transformation of inspection of special equipment. Going forward, the district will continue to explore the use of intelligent robots in more inspection scenarios, promote the digitalization, intellectualization and regular robot-led operations, and generate replicable experience for intelligent inspection and smart supervision of special equipment across Beijing. 

(Source: The Beijing News)