GridBot robot takes just 5 hrs to remove wood log stuck in high-pressure powerplant pipe

2″ Gridbots Stinger Robot brought out 30″ wooden log from a 12″ pipeline at TATA Power bringing unit alive again! Source: @GridBots

Gridbots Technologies, a start-up located in Ahmedabad, India, has focused their efforts on providing the power industry, particularly nuclear power companies, defense organizations and space agencies with robotics, AI and vision products.

The company has grown to a team of more than 30 people. Pulkit Gaur, the founder of Gridbots, let me know about this recent event that made news in Indian media:

“Recently we used one of our “Stinger” robots to extract a 30 inch wooden log from a 12 inch pipeline within 72 hours of notification. The actual removal operation only took 5 hours. This power plant was on halt because of this wooden log stuck in their steam pipeline – the steam that turns the turbine that makes the power.”

The wooden block was stuck 33 feet inside an important high-pressure steam pipe 12 inches wide at a Tata-run power plant in Mundra. “We went inside the pipe and brought the 2.5-foot long wooden log out in less than five hours with the help of our Stinger robot,” said Pulkit.

The GridBots team had only to modify the Stinger with stronger grippers.

Frank Tobe is the owner and publisher of The Robot Report, and is also a panel member for Robohub's Robotics by Invitation series.

Frank Tobe is the owner and publisher of The Robot Report, and is also a panel member for Robohub's Robotics by Invitation series.