The City University of New York

Innovbot, LLC

Yifeng Song

Jizhong Xiao

Guoyong Yang

Kenshin Ushiroda

SaiadiVishnu Sanigepalli

A robot for cleaning and inspecting wind turbine blades. The robot has a module that adheres to the blade using a vacuum force. The robot also has a cleaning compartment is divided into two sections that are connected by a flexible section. The cleaning compartment is flexible such that it adapts to convex and concave curvatures on the blade.

Method and apparatus to clean wind turbine blades

A robotic device for providing vertical mobility has a payload disposed inside a central compartment and can move up and down through spring load to keep intimate contact with the surface and cross over bumps. The apparatus uses a flexible seal to create a reliable vacuum chamber. The flexible seal comprises a foam ring inside fabric pocket. A plurality of rod and spring strips are configured to apply a downward force to the flexible seal to conform with surface curvatures. The fabric pocket fills in the gaps or seams to maintain a vacuum. The air flows inside a manifold and passes through a filter to avoid debris from damaging the vacuum motor assembly.

Growing community of inventors

River Edge, NJ, United States of America

Yifeng Song