Objective

The objective is to promote development of drones which realize the energy-efficient society by setting the performance evaluation standard of each type of robot which utilizing practical robot test fields.

Outline

Set the performance evaluation standard of each type of robot (UAVs, land robots and hydro robots) by industrial area (logistics, infrastructure inspection and disaster response) and robot.

By repeating the cycle of conducting tests, setting the demanded performance levels based on the test results, and developing robots for each use case at the Fukushima Robot Test Field(RTF)

Duration

FY2016~FY2017

１．R&D of the performance evaluation standard of each type of robot

• Unmanned aerial vehicles for logistics
• Unmanned aerial vehicles for infrastructure inspection
• Hydro robots for infrastructure inspection
• Unmanned aerial vehicles for disaster response
• Land robots for disaster response

２．R&D of the manual for robot performance evaluation

NEDO and the Ministry of Economy, Technology and Industry (METI) released the "manual for robot performance evaluation" regarding the performance evaluation methods which is to grasp the performance of each type of robot such as those for infrastructure inspection and disaster response before its introduction to real scenes. The manual deals with the demanded items of performance, test methods for performance evaluation, and necessary evaluation tools for tests regarding UAVs for bridge inspection, hydro robots for dams and rivers inspection and land robots for tunnel and plant disaster response, which is based on discussions with robot technology experts and verification results with actual machines under simulated environments.

From now on, NEDO and the METI strive to make the manual prevail, contribute to the boost of utilization of robots for infrastrcture inspection and disaseter response, and the creation of robot-related market for social infrastructure maintenance and update whose size is expected to be 700 billion yen in 2030. Moreover, we have providing insights gained throught this R&D for the Fukushima Prefecture so that tests based on the manual can be conducted in the Fukushima RTF as a part of activities from the cooperative pact regarding verifications of robots and drones utilizing the Fukushima RTF, and the insights will partly be reflected on the design of the Fukushima RTF.

Please download the manual (in Japanese) here

Expected complete image of the Fukushima RTF

２．１　Target robots

• Unmanned aerial robots for infrastructure inspection
• Hydro robots for infrastructure inspection
• Land robots for disaseter response

２．２　Contents

〈Unmanned aerial robots for infrastructure inspection〉

The manual for unmanned aerial robots for infrastructure inspection includes items of evaluation, test methods and test facilities etc. of

・the motion performance regarding stability etc. of UAVs' position around buildings when approaching to points for data collection such as cracks of a bridge

・data collection performance which evaluate the whole process to collect necessary data (such as close-up image and hammering sound data) for bridge inspection utilizing cameras on UAVs and sensors including hammering sound device

Example of a test method in the manual

〈Hydro robots for infrastructure inspection〉

The manual for hydro robots for infrastructure inspection includes items of evaluation and test methods etc.

・along the process of general and detailed inspection of dam bodies, gates and seam openings

・for checking the visibility under turbid water

・along the inspection process by float robots for river inspection

・to evaluate straightness and rotationality on the moving measurement, and the inspection  accuracy

Example of a test method and environment in the manual

〈Land robots for disaster response〉

The manual for land robots for disaster response includes test methods

・of Standard Test Methods For Response Robots (STM) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology of the U.S. (NIST), which is the de jure standard regarding the basic property such as land robots' surmountability

・unique for tunnel and plant disasters

・regarding the "IP" notation, which is increasingly the general term as the performance evaluation of environmental resistance

・regarding anti-explosion performance

・new for the international standardization

Example of a test method and environment in the manual

３．Movie of the R&D achievements from NEDO Channel

【Related new release and verification movie】

● NEDO Channel

● Reinforces the development of robots for infrastructure inspection and Starts making the standards

● Verifies the long distance of load deliveries by perfectlly self-controlled drones for the first time in the world

● Conducts the security performace test of a manned helicopter and UAV in the same airspace in the Fukushima Prefecture for the first time in Japan

● Conducts the flight test for setting the performance evaluation standard of UAVs for bridge inspection

● Conducts the test for setting the performance evaluation of hydro robots to inspect in dams and rivers

● Conducts the test for setting the performance evaluation of land robots for disaster response

● Release the manual for robot performance evaluation for infrastracture inspection and disaster response

● NEDO and the Fukushima Prefecture concludes the cooperative pact about the verification of robots and drones