We set out to demonstrate that a robot could generate data, first and foremost video data whose quality inspectors would gladly accept for routine visual inspection, and to deliver the data to an “inspector’s workstation” off the airplane.

To allow us to concentrate on inspection data and not inspection equipment transportation, we designed an interim robot whose mobility is limited to the fuselage crown and provided CIMP with a 3D-stereoscopic video system that gives the inspectors remote binocular inspection capability.

CIMP has been sucessfully operated on a 747 at Northwest (as shown in the accompanying figures) and on a DC-9 at USAirways. Working aircraft inspectors have been uniformly enthusiastic about the quality and utility of the imagery that the CIMP remote 3D-stereoscopic video system delivers.

Verified 2002 March 01 by mws@cmu.edu: accurate but not up-to-date.