Figure 6: MACS crawling on the C-5 aircraft (patent pending). Figure 7: Some of the attendees of NATIBO workshop that was held at JPL July 8-9, 1998. From Left to right: David Hsu, Vinod Agarwala, Mike Slack, Jerszy Komorowski, Yoseph Bar-Cohen, Brian Lepin, Nancy Hoesly, and Thomas Condon.

A project strawman outline was established consisting of multiple sensors mounted on a robot programmed to crawl on an aircraft/helicopter. The sensors data output would then be fused to increase the accuracy and the Probability of Detection. Leading NDE experts estimate the sensor-fusion package to be the least mature technology and to post great challenges. Three sensor technologies were selected for inclusion: Edge of Light (see page 11), ultrasonics and eddy current. The JPL's MACS crawler (see Figure 7) was identified as a potential platform for low cost open-architecture robotic baseline. MACS is a small, highly dexterous crawler with payload to weight ratio of about 10:1, designed to perform complex scanning tasks. It suction cups for controlled attachment and it was designed to inspection large structures particularly in field and depot conditions.

In an effort to develop efficient, low cost system with adaptable functionality, MACS was designed as a generic mobile robot. Its platform can carry PC-type boards to serve as a "walking motherboard". MACS is applicable to many areas, including aircraft testing or maintenance, ships paint removal and painting and high-rise windows cleaning. The potential formation of large pool of users and developers would lead to rapidly improving, affordable and tailorable system with a success similar to the personal computers. The crawler performance can be remotely and centrally thru such tools as the internet using password. To employ as much as possible low-cost, off-the-shelf hardware, the crawler platform should be constructed with a standard bus structure, including ISA, PCI or PCMCIA interfaces. To define the crawler functionality, plug-and-ply boards will be needed. Currently, NDE hardware manufacturers have to develop a complete instrument each time a new product is introduced. It is envisioned that concentration on the development of components with focused NDE functionality (e.g., ultrasonics) will have great payoff. It would lead to substantial lower cost of future instruments and to a faster transition of NDE technology to commercial use.

FROM THE EDITOR
We are pleased to publish the second issue of the NASA Materials & Processes Update (NMPU). This Newsletter is a communication forum of the NASA M&P Working Group (NMPWG) and efforts will be made to publish it quarterly from this issue. The goal of the NMPU is to serve as a communication platform for technical information interchange among the space M&P scientist and engineers. We are seeking to cover M&P space related activity and technical news from the various NASA Centers, the aerospace industry, academia, standardization technical societies and other non-NASA organizations (NGS). Efforts are made to report information in a format of short paragraphs with a point of contact for inquiries of further details.

Published in:
October 1998 NASA M&P Update Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 1
NASA MATERIALS & PROCESSES UPDATE (NMPU) NEWSLETTER
Published by NMPWG and NASA HQ, Code AE
Editors: Yoseph Bar-Cohen and Cheng Hsieh, JPL
NASA M&P Program Management: NASA HQ, Code AE, Richard Weinstein, NASA HQ.
NASA M&P Working Group (NMPWG) Chair and Vice-Chair of the: Frank Key and Dennis Griffin, MSFC
All communications should be addressed to:.
JPL, M.S. 82-105, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109-8099
Phone: (818)-354-2610, Fax: (818)-393-4057 or E-mail: yosi@jpl.nasa.gov
http://eis.jpl.nasa.gov/ndeaa/nasa-mp/mp-hp.htm or Webhub http://ndeaa.jpl.nasa.gov