JetSnake Inspecting Tunnel TBMs
What happened
OC Robotics’ JetSnake flexible snake arm is being used with a water jet and camera to inspect tunnel boring machines, offering a safer alternative to human entry for tight, hazardous spaces. The deployment highlights modular robotic tools being adopted for industrial inspection and maintenance. (x.com)
Why it matters
OC Robotics supplied a JetSnake to Bouygues Travaux Publics for work on the Port of Miami tunnel TBM, a field deployment first trialed on-site in 2013. (pdf.directindustry.com) Project documentation records the TBM environment in Miami at roughly 3.5 bar ambient pressure, about 50°C with near-100% humidity, and warns future tunnel segments could see pressures up to ~12 bar that make human entry extremely costly. (pdf.directindustry.com) Later JetSnake engineering updates raised operational capability to withstand higher working pressures (reported up to 5 bar) and improved integration with TBM interfaces to shorten installation and maintenance cycles. (roboticsupdate.com) OC Robotics’ Series II X125 variant lists a ~2.2 m flexible arm, cumulative bend beyond 225°, and an increased payload capacity (~6 kg) to accommodate toolheads such as cleaning jets, cameras and other end-effectors. (pdf.directindustry.com) Technical reports note the TBM sensor suite added laser profilometry for disk-wear measurement alongside camera-and-light monitoring to quantify cutterhead condition during interventions. (sepac.com) Following the Miami trials, a JetSnake system was delivered and commissioned for the Dragages/Bouygues joint venture on the Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok Link (TMCLK) TBM programme in Hong Kong. (roboticsupdate.com) OC Robotics, a Bristol-based snake-arm specialist founded in the late 1990s, was acquired by GE Aviation (now GE Aerospace) in 2017, giving the JetSnake lineage industrial backing from a larger aerospace/engineering group. (engineeringdesigner.co.uk)
Key numbers
- (x.com) OC Robotics supplied a JetSnake to Bouygues Travaux Publics for work on the Port of Miami tunnel TBM, a field deployment first trialed on-site in 2013.
- (pdf.directindustry.com) Later JetSnake engineering updates raised operational capability to withstand higher working pressures (reported up to 5 bar) and improved integration with TBM interfaces to shorten installation and maintenance cycles.
- (roboticsupdate.com) OC Robotics’ Series II X125 variant lists a ~2.2 m flexible arm, cumulative bend beyond 225°, and an increased payload capacity (~6 kg) to accommodate toolheads such as cleaning jets, cameras and other end-effectors.
- (roboticsupdate.com) OC Robotics, a Bristol-based snake-arm specialist founded in the late 1990s, was acquired by GE Aviation (now GE Aerospace) in 2017, giving the JetSnake lineage industrial backing from a larger aerospace/engineering group.
Quick answers
What happened in JetSnake Inspecting Tunnel TBMs?
OC Robotics’ JetSnake flexible snake arm is being used with a water jet and camera to inspect tunnel boring machines, offering a safer alternative to human entry for tight, hazardous spaces. The deployment highlights modular robotic tools being adopted for industrial inspection and maintenance. (x.com)
Why does JetSnake Inspecting Tunnel TBMs matter?
OC Robotics supplied a JetSnake to Bouygues Travaux Publics for work on the Port of Miami tunnel TBM, a field deployment first trialed on-site in 2013. (pdf.directindustry.com) Project documentation records the TBM environment in Miami at roughly 3.5 bar ambient pressure, about 50°C with near-100% humidity, and warns future tunnel segments could see pressures up to ~12 bar that make human entry extremely costly. (pdf.directindustry.com) Later JetSnake engineering updates raised operational capability to withstand higher working pressures (reported up to 5 bar) and improved integration with TBM interfaces to shorten installation and maintenance cycles. (roboticsupdate.com) OC Robotics’ Series II X125 variant lists a ~2.2 m flexible arm, cumulative bend beyond 225°, and an increased payload capacity (~6 kg) to accommodate toolheads such as cleaning jets, cameras and other end-effectors. (pdf.directindustry.com) Technical reports note the TBM sensor suite added laser profilometry for disk-wear measurement alongside camera-and-light monitoring to quantify cutterhead condition during interventions. (sepac.com) Following the Miami trials, a JetSnake system was delivered and commissioned for the Dragages/Bouygues joint venture on the Tuen Mun–Chek Lap Kok Link (TMCLK) TBM programme in Hong Kong. (roboticsupdate.com) OC Robotics, a Bristol-based snake-arm specialist founded in the late 1990s, was acquired by GE Aviation (now GE Aerospace) in 2017, giving the JetSnake lineage industrial backing from a larger aerospace/engineering group. (engineeringdesigner.co.uk)
