Stereo-Welding: Intelligent Vision for Energy facilities Inspection and Welding (IVEIW)

There is a strong requirement for information by improved mapping of the internals of buildings, structures and

storage vessels of hazardous materials. Currently this process is conducted by manual visual inspections, which

is both costly and potentially hazardous to the engineer, or through camera systems, which relies on user

interpretation and intervention.

This project proposes a new smart inspection system based on i3d robotic’s high-resolution 3D stereo-camera

technology coupled to robotic manipulators for flexible inspection and potentially autonomous welding repair.

This offers a major advantage compared with manual workers as it means 24/7 operation is possible ensuring

more efficient work practices leading to direct cost savings, a reduction in low level waste generation (nuclear)

and an enhancement of safety due to automated fault detection/repair, all without human intervention.