IAES International Journal of Robotics and Automation (IJRA)
Vol 14, No 3: December 2025

Design and development of a modular magnetic wheeled robot for out-pipe inspection

Rajendran, Sugin Elankavi (Unknown)
Ramanathan, Kuppan Chetty (Unknown)
Guasekaran, Harish Kumar (Unknown)
Pinagapani, Arun Kumar (Unknown)
Devaraj, Dinakaran (Unknown)
Mathanagopal, Ramya (Unknown)



Article Info

Publish Date
01 Dec 2025

Abstract

This paper presents the design of a modular mobile robot capable of climbing and inspecting vertical ferromagnetic pipes using magnetic wheels. Mobile robots used for climbing ferromagnetic surfaces employ magnetic tracks, wheels, and magnets attached to the robot’s body. When it comes to ferromagnetic pipes, magnetic wheels and magnets attached to the body can be used. Among them, magnetic wheels are commonly used for inspecting ferromagnetic pipes. While current robots are suitable for large pipes, they are not practical for smaller ones. To address this gap, a small-sized robot equipped with a magnetic wheel system that ensures both strong attachment and smooth movement along vertical ferromagnetic surfaces is developed. The robot’s magnetic adhesion performance was analyzed through simulations using finite element method magnetics and validated through laboratory experiments. The results show an average error of only 8.25% between simulation and real-world tests, confirming the system’s reliability for external pipe inspection.

Copyrights © 2025






Journal Info

Abbrev

IJRA

Publisher

Subject

Automotive Engineering Electrical & Electronics Engineering

Description

Robots are becoming part of people's everyday social lives and will increasingly become so. In future years, robots may become caretaker assistants for the elderly, or academic tutors for our children, or medical assistants, day care assistants, or psychological counselors. Robots may become our ...