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I’m Ivan De Leonardis, Co-Founder and CMO of Fluid Wire Robotics (FWR), where innovation and problem-solving are my playground. I thrive on connecting people and technology to tackle complex challenges and push boundaries in robotics, together with the co-founders of FWR, who are as passionate about technology and innovation as I am.
We started with a very common problem: currently, robots designed to operate in hostile environments (such as in the presence of radiation, underwater, in the vacuum of space, or in explosive atmospheres) are typically very expensive, highly specialized, and technically complex. In particular, it is necessary to apply additional protection and implement significant structural modifications, which greatly increase their complexity, cost, weight and bulk, as well as compromise their performance and versatility of use.
The Fluid Transmission: an Efficient Technology for Extreme Environments
How did we solve the problem of expensive, and complex robots in extreme environments? By developing electric, force-controllable robotic arms based on our proprietary fluid transmission technology, “Fluid Wires”. This technology allows all electrical and electronic components, such as motors and sensors, to be remotely located in an external actuation unit. This means that the robotic arm structure is free of on-board electricity, extremely light, and achieves very high performance in terms of dynamic properties, force control quality, and reliability.
By placing the electric actuators away from the arm structure and transferring their action through a very high-efficiency transmission system such as Fluid Wires, the weight and inertia of the robotic arm are drastically reduced. This helps achieve a very precise and safe control of the force with which the arm interacts with its surroundings without the need to use force or torque sensors, which are very fragile and expensive.
The modular design of the system, in which the same actuation module is used to move each degree of freedom (DOF) of the robot, results in great ease of design and customisation for different use-cases.
In addition, Fluid Wire technology keeps costs low and production time to a minimum, as it uses traditional and readily available machining and materials rather than expensive and fragile components. The scalability of the solution allows robots to be quickly adapted to different applications, increasing their versatility and opening up various markets.
Key Engineering Challenges in Material Selection
Before achieving this result, we needed to conduct extensive academic research and pay particular attention to materials, which are the main design variable. The criteria for materials selected were:
- Radiation resistance in nuclear applications
- Vacuum resistance in space applications
- Resistance to high temperatures for operations up to 300°C
- Waterproofness and resistance to pressure in underwater environments up to thousands of meters deep.
In addition, another particularly important challenge was to develop modular architecture, characterized by the repetition of the same single module for each DOF. On a technical level, we were able to ensure that each module could be easily modified to meet specific requirements without increasing the complexity of the system or affecting its performance.
More Testing and Industry Collaborations in the Pipeline for FWR
In the immediate future, we are striving to take our robots from TRL* 4 to TRL 5 and 6 (*Technology Readiness Level, or standardized technology maturity levels). The next steps for FWR focus on two main strategic areas: validating the technology in real operating environments and expanding industrial collaborations.
For the first goal, we will conduct a radiation and high-temperature test campaign to simulate the operation of our robots with radioactive materials and test remote inspection and maintenance operations at nuclear sites. We will also conduct tests in thermovacuum chambers (which simulate vacuum and high space temperature ranges) to demonstrate our system’s ability to operate in orbit during space missions.
For the second goal, we are currently building strategic partnerships that can accelerate time-to-market:
- Nuclear sector: we aim to collaborate with major industry players on projects for decommissioning and maintenance of both existing and new generation nuclear power plants
- Space sector: through the support of the ESA-BIC incubation programme, we will launch pilot projects in the space sector, partnering with space agencies and private companies for applications such as satellite maintenance and active space debris removal.
Once this field validation phase is over, FWR will focus on commercial launch and production scalability by initially releasing mini-batches to rapidly meet the specific needs of industrial partners.
Learn more about Fluid Wire Robotics: https://www.fluidwirerobotics.com/
How do you see robotics evolving in your sector? What challenges could Fluid Wire Robotics help you overcome? We’d love to hear your insights—share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
