BBA, Honeywell developing structural test robot

A laser-guided, computer-controlled robot that promises to significantly decrease the time it takes to find corrosion and other airframe structural anomalies is under development by Honeywell and London-based BBA Diagnostics. The structural anomaly mapping (SAM) robot is being designed to scan an entire aircraft in three hours. Traditional aircraft inspection methods can take days, according to BBA, but “SAM will deliver a 3-D image of the inspection results for maintenance evaluation, which can quickly be compared with previous inspections on the aircraft to identify any developing problems.”