The snakes and bugs helping you go on holiday

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Thursday 5 December 2019 08:32 AM

The snakes and bugs helping you go on holiday

In years to come your holiday flight might be on time thanks to the most unusual “little helpers.”

Rolls-Royce repair technology is developing a robotic service system, called SWARM, with miniaturised bug-like robots sent to scan areas of an aircraft engine unreachable by current technology and confirm if there is any damage.

This pioneering technology has now been recognised within the industry with SWARM winning the Innovation of the Year award at the Aviation Week Network and CAPA – Centre for Aviation Airline Operations Leaders Summit in Seville, Spain.

The bugs are placed inside the engine using a “snake” robot that can bend and twist to reach engine cavities, with each of the SWARM devices programmed to monitor an individual area. This feedback is then combined with those of the others to provide an overall picture of the situation. The bugs then return to the snake to be withdrawn from the engine.

The device, being developed with Harvard University for the bug and University of Nottingham for the snake, is part of Rolls-Royce’s continued drive to increase aircraft availability. Technologies such as SWARM allow engines to be checked more quickly, which in turn means more engines can meet increasingly busy schedules.

SWARM, which may be available for service in the latter part of the next decade, has already undergone initial testing of the bug chassis, confirming its ability to walk around inside the engine, even upside down. The snake deployment robots have already been tested on a Trent donor engine at the University of Nottingham.

James Kell, On-Wing Specialist in Repair Technology, who received the award, said: “In repair technology we pride ourselves on being pioneers and it’s great to see such innovation being recognised within the industry. SWARM, and all our robotic programmes are just one element of the company’s IntelligentEngine vision, bringing together the product, the service and our rapidly-developing digital technology.”

More than one snake on a plane

The Aviation Week Network and CAPA Innovation Award recognised not just SWARM but other advances in snake robotics made by Rolls-Royce, designed to maintain engines on wing, minimising downtime and maximising aircraft availability.

FLARE, being developed with the University of Nottingham and UK company Metallisation, uses two snake robots to carry on repairs – one with a mini-camera on the end to allow engineers to oversee and check work, and the other with a mini flame sprayer that can melt powdered ceramic onto an area of the engine where ceramic coating may be flaking off. The temporary fix allows the engine to fly on, and for engineers to schedule more detailed off-wing treatment. Following a successful engine demonstration in 2019, this technique is being commercialised via a project called CHIMERA, with support from InnovateUK that started earlier in 2019.

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COBRA is a five-metre long snake that can be fitted with tools to carry out specific repairs. For example, a laser could be attached to cut out damage to a turbine blade and leave a smoother scalloped shape on the blade that would not allow any crack to develop further. The laser technologies are being developed by UK SME OpTek and the snake itself is being developed by the University of Nottingham. Further collaboration is with RACE (Remote Applications in Challenging Environments) and the UK Atomic Energy Association, where it may have uses in the inspection of reactors. COBRA is also supported by InnovateUK, and will undergo engine demonstrations in 2020.

Concepts such as these are currently undergoing testing alongside a range of next generation inspection and component repair technologies to make the intelligent engine a reality and minimise customer disruption.