Wichita State University’s National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) has been granted a patent for a newly developed composite inspection robot.
The machine, dubbed VISION, is an autonomous and semi-autonomous cell for inspecting composite parts, and verifying and facilitating part repairs. VISION, the main industrial robot carrying out the inspections, automatically attaches to a set of interchangeable inspection and repair end effectors to carry out its processes.
For other features, the cell can be equipped with fixtures for supporting rotorcraft and rotating blades, and over time, a software applicant can use past inspection data to train the machine to recognize damage to composite parts based on inspection images.
Matt Tomblin, director of NIAR’s Automation Research Center, led the development and first installation of the system.
“There’s a lot of virtual processing happening behind the scenes — AI and machine learning models we’ve trained to interpret what the system sees,” Tomblin said. “It analyzes massive amounts of data to inform the operator, but at the end of the day, you still need that human element to give the final report.”
The system was developed in Wichita at NIAR’s Automation Research Center and recently installed at the Mississippi Army National Guard Aviation Classification Repair Activity Depot (AVCRAD) in Gulfport, Miss.
“It took time, but I think it’s a critical step forward in Army modernization,” Tomblin said. “At the end of the day, it’s about supporting the men and women in uniform — giving them the tools to respond faster, with greater precision. Whether it’s servicing main rotor blades or other composite components, enabling them to get aircraft back in the air within a day can make all the difference.”
Other primary collaborators include John Tomblin, WSU executive vice president for Research and Industry and Defense Programs and NIAR executive director; Waruna Seneviratne, director of NIAR’s Advanced Technologies Lab for Aerospace Systems; Caleb Saathoff, NIAR senior engineering manager and Christopher Pini, NIAR senior research engineer.
“I think we had just the right people at just the right time,” Tomblin said. “A strong mix of vision and technical talent came together in a really solid way.”
VISION can be customized to suit a wide range of part inspection and repair needs. For more information, contact Matt Tomblin at matt.tomblin@idp.wichita.edu.
About Wichita State University
Wichita State University is Kansas' only urban public research university, enrolling more than 23,000 students between its main campus and the WSU Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology (WSU Tech), including students from every state in the U.S. and more than 100 countries. Wichita State and WSU Tech are recognized for being student-centered and innovation-driven.
Located in the largest city in the state with one of the highest concentrations in the United States of jobs involving science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), Wichita State University provides uniquely distinctive and innovative pathways of applied learning, applied research and career opportunities for all of our students. The National Science Foundation ranked WSU No. 1 in the nation for aerospace engineering R&D, No. 2 for industry-funded engineering R&D and No. 8 overall for engineering R&D.
The Innovation Campus, which is a physical extension of the Wichita State University main campus, is one of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing research/innovation parks, encompassing over 120 acres and is home to a number of global companies and organizations.
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