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How To Make Friends And Influence People – With A Robot!

Delta Extreme Crawler

Employees at the Dow Chemical Company think of their new remote inspection equipment as colleagues, even giving the robots human names and lining up to work with them.

Why the affinity to these inanimate objects in an already highly technical industrialised environment?

Perhaps it’s because these versatile robots are able to venture into spaces which are unsafe or inaccessible to people.  Perhaps it’s because they can be exposed to hazardous substances, making the workplace safer for employees.  Maybe it’s because these robots ultimately save the company money and enable the workforce to be more productive and efficient.  It may be that the inspection capabilities of these robots are so extraordinary that they command respect from humans.  Or it may simply be that these devices are seen as such an integral part of the team’s performance and success that they’re seen as equals.

Whatever the reason for the popularity of the new Delta Crawler robotic systems at Dow Chemicals, the truth is that these machines have transformed remote visual inspections in the plants and transformed overall plant safety.

Dow headquarters introduced a plan to eliminate all Confined Space Entry (CSE) by 2025 which dictates that no employee will be allowed to enter a tank, barrel or cooling tower.  To this end, the company invested in these Delta robotic systems which have been specially designed for unsafe or confined spaces that are inaccessible to people.

Delta Extreme Crawler

Take the Delta Extreme for example.  Known as ‘Brutus’ by its colleagues at Dow, the portable robot’s specially designed track belts provide optimal traction and its unique shape-changing capabilities enable it to navigate through tight spaces, over objects and around obstacles – even 30 metres under water.  It also handles hazardous environments with ease, removing any risk to humans and enhancing workplace safety.

Small in size but massive in terms of capability, the Delta Extreme is an intuitive, remotely operated system which can be operated by a single person and taken anywhere it needs to go.  In addition to tank, barrel and cooling tower inspection and surveillance, other applications include search and rescue, duct inspection, pipe infrastructure inspection, culvert inspection, underwater inspection and remote monitoring in nuclear power plants.

 

The new robots are used at Dow’s Terneuzen factory as well as its other plants in Thailand, Holland and the USA and their highly evolved features and functionality make them an indispensable part of the inspection team.

Need more information?  We carry a wide range of robotic crawlers and remote inspection equipment and you can find out more by contacting our team of industry experts at Nexxis on 08 9418 4952 or visiting our detailed product pages on crawlers and tractors.

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