A robot for spray applied insulation in underfloor voids

Abstract:
This paper focuses on the application of robotics in a new field for applying surface treatments in building voids and the development of the architecture of the robotic vehicle for use in this application. The nature of the application means that the robotic vehicle must be capable of accessing voids through small openings and this has led to a deployable architecture for the vehicle which can be fed through an opening and then reconfigures its form to enable practical operation. A typical application for the robot is to apply thermal insulation to the underside of wooden or concrete floors in buildings. The terrain is varied ranging from sand to impacted dusty hard core, can be strewn with builders’ debris such as bricks and timber, and is interspersed with retainer walls that support the floor above. Within this environment the robot needs to be able to navigate and deploy a spray applied insulation fed by a hose assembly. This paper describes the robot architecture and its development with particular focus on deployable features enabling access to confined spaces, the traction system used to negotiate diverse surfaces while pulling the umbilical hose assembly, the sensor array and how it is used to control the spray patterns. The resulting robots have been commercially developed, and are successfully spraying thermal insu-lation in a wide range of building applications.