Infinity X is a modular drone integrated with a robotic arm to perform high-altitude welding during maintenance.
Skill: Story-telling, Form Development, Prototype
01
Research
Number of casualties in accidents caused by constructing equipment in Japan
Hazardous Working Environment
"Falling on the ground" is the top industrial accident that happened. Working at heights remains one of the most hazardous tasks in industries such as construction, maintenance, and utilities.
Welding at height is a common yet risky maintenance task
"1 in 250" construction workers face a fatal injury during welding.
The dangers of working at heights and intense welding conditions increase the risk of accidents.
-OSHA studies
What is Working at height?
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Working at height is the performance of any type of work at an elevated position where the worker is at risk of falling and getting injured as a result of insufficient or non-existing safety precautions.
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In general, a height of 4 feet is considered the minimum threshold for working at height.
Paint Point
Worker
Safety
Welders working at heights face significant risks of falls, exposure to hazardous fumes, and potential injuries from handling heavy equipment.
Labor Cost &
Environment
The need for multiple workers to set up, operate, and supervise the welding process increases labor costs. Prolonged setup contributes to construction pollution and noise.
Equipment Complexity
Setting up scaffolding or aerial work platforms for welding at height is time-consuming and requires significant manpower and equipment.
Design Statement
In order to enhance safety and improve accessibility during the maintenance of structures at height, I want to minimizes the human involvement in potentially hazardous situations, by integrating unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology.
Why Infinity X？
There's a great opportunity to develop a UAV designed for welding at height.
With the introduction of UAV technology we can clearly see that traditional overhead welding workflows can be greatly simplified, reducing the time it takes to set up equipment and minimizing the potential risks associated with the need for people to work at height. On a macro level, the introduction of the system will at the same time reduce the labor costs of the implementers and maintain a good living environment for the occupants by reducing construction pollution and noise.
Positive effects on skill variety and use can be expected whenever technology takes over the“dull, dirty, and dangerous”tasks
Walsh & Strano,2018, p. xix
02
Development
Noticeable Color
Robust
Tech Savvy
Mood Board
The appearance of the drone should be robust due to the special characteristics of welding. Secondly, the engineering equipment should be visible enough to be avoided by uninvolved people. Finally, I wanted to give it a tech savvy style to emphasize its functionality.
Material List
Form Development
I model the main surfacing quickly in Gravity Sketch, which is a more intuitive way to quickly build a shape. Once the main form is in place, combine it with solid works to quickly iterate on the rest of the details.
Modeling Iteration
Moving back and forth in modeling program, I trying to work out the best proportion and details placement for my design.
03
Concept
Artifact Model
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The Infinity X welding system will require both a pilot and a welder, with the pilot flying the drone to a designated location and scanning the terrain to create a 3D model for the computer program. the welder is responsible for creating a welding path based on the 3D model and adjusting the welding parameters on the computer program. During the welding process, the welding vehicle is responsible for supplying the necessary gas, laser filler and power to the welding arm.
Welding System Design
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To meet the need for welding precision, the UAV is designed to be able to carry a laser welding robot arm as well as a perch module. They work in tandem to ensure that drone is flexible and stable enough to perform high altitude welding.
Feature in Drone
Stabilization & Flexibility
04
Final Presentation
CMF specification
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The CMF of my design utilizes a combination of ABS and aluminum alloy to minimize electromagnetic interference from welding while ensuring exceptional hardness. The striking orange and black color scheme underscores its engineering excellence.
Part name: Battery
Material: PC
Finished: Matte
PANTONE CG 4U
Part name: Propeller
Material: PC
Finished: Matte
PANTONE B 6U
Part name: Frame/ Joint
Material: Aluminum Alloy
Finished: Matt
PANTONE 137U
Part name: Lower/Upper Cover
Material: ABS
Finished: Powder Coated
PANTONE B 6U
Part name: Suction Cups (OGVM)
Material: Silicone Rubber
Finished: Matte
PANTONE B 6U
Part name: Fixer Arm
Material: ABS
Finished: Matte
PANTONE B 6U
Landing...
Flying...
03
Design Details
Perching Module
This module will help to anchor the drone to a specific surface, providing a stable platform for subsequent welding.
Welding Arm Module
This module will be connected to the welding car and will perform welding task after drone fly to appointed position.
01
Robotic Arm
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The arm has five axes of freedom and is capable of realizing high-precision welding requirements. The laser welding arm module includes an optional material nozzle and laser head.
5-aixs laser welding
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The filler tube delivers additional material to the weld area for improved strength and durability, while the shielding gas tube supplies an inert gas to protect the weld pool from atmospheric contamination and ensure a clean, high-quality weld.
Inlet Details
shielding gas tube inlet
Filler inlet (optional)
Servo Motor 1
Servo Motor2
Control Tripod Fixer rotate
Control Supporting arm rotate
Vacuum Generator
Creates a vacuum
02
Gripping Module
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By integrating Vacuum Technology the gripping module can attach to any flat surface. Its tripod feature making sure the drone will not bob up and down.
Vacuum Technology integration
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The servo motors embedded in the drone ensure that the drone can rotate to adjust the optimal welding position when it is fixed in a particular position.
Rotation
Control propeller arms' movement
Linear BLDC Motor
03
Flying arm
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Using a four-bar mechanism, the drone can uses only one linear stepper motor to adjust the height of the flight arm during landing.
Four-bar mechanism
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There are cameras as well as sensors on the top, bottom, left and right sides to recognize the surroundings in all directions for timely obstacle avoidance as well as environmental scanning.
Full view coverage
04
Sensor
Push to unlock the battery
Battery Indicator
Lock Slide
05
Battery
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Two push buttons are placed on the side of the battery, helping Pilot readily to replace the battery.
Push and unlock
Welding Moment
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Through the interplay of gripping as well as welding modules, Drone is able to provide the stability and flexibility of high altitude welding.
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There are cameras as well as sensors on the top, bottom, left and right sides to recognize the surroundings in all directions for timely obstacle avoidance as well as environmental scanning.
Welding Moment
04
Welding Car Design
Handle
USB Portal
Output
Inspection shell
Ventilation
Power/Plugin
Knob
LED
indicator
Interlock
Emergency
Button
Welding Car Design
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Welding car will be connected with welding drone and offer it with filler material as well as gas. Welder can adjust the welding parameters on welding car as needed.
Scale Study
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A scale study related to human size is showed, making sure the size of the product is usable.
05
UI Design
01
Routine Planning
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Welder can review the 3D model scanned by drone and create welding routine through the program on computer.
02
Welding parameter
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After creating the routine, Welder will setup the welding parameter on welding machine based on the welding target.
06
Prototyping
Prototyping
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I use 3D print technology to explore styling possibilities as I iterate through the design. While near the end of the design process I printed highly detailed models ( 1:1.5 ) to test the usability of design details such as the maximum extension scale of the robotic arm and the reliability of the perching mechanism.
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Revolutionizing industrial welding with elevated precision, safety, and efficiency.
More Work In Progress...