Review of Robotic Systems for Aircraft Inspection

Aircrafts are regularly inspected as part of the maintenance programme, within the stringent regulations of the aviation authorities. Inspection is the major means to discover signs of incipient failures and trigger preventive actions. The nature of preventive inspection is that no faults are found most of the time. Robotic automation could significantly improve the consistency and efficiency of inspection by being able to detect, analyse and subsequently repair defects. Internal, complex and hazardous environments are of current key interest in robotics since these areas are significantly challenging and difficult to access and therefore tend to require extensive dismantling of surrounding structures. Parameters such as navigation, communication, locomotion, mechanical design of the robot in combination with inspection tools, requires careful consideration depending on the requirements of the system. This paper presents a state-of-the-art review of robotic inspection systems developed primarily within the aviation sector, whilst analysing the advancement of these systems across other prominent industries. The key area of this study focuses on how robotics can be applied to achieve successful internal inspection of an aircraft wing fuel tank, along with the challenges to develop such a system.