A client–server architecture for the remote sensing and control of a drilling robot

Remote sensing, implemented through virtual instrumentation, is a very important technology for industrial measurements. Moreover, the architecture and methods involved are effective for the teaching and dissemination of measurement technologies. A proper design may yield to cost-effectiveness, reliability and flexibility.Despite that, some traditional domains, like the drilling equipment production, are reluctant to the innovations and in particular are not confident in the electronic reliability.Therefore in this paper we first briefly discuss the architecture and the main properties of distributed systems for remote sensing and control. Then we refer of a research concerning an entirely remote measurement and control system, for an innovative drilling robot, able to move along a micro-tunnel and drill the landfill to insert drainage pipes, in order to definitively remediate them. Due to the working hazardous conditions, all the operations should be executed with a fully remote control and monitoring.The designed drilling machine has been built and tested at the workshop, moreover the machine successfully drilled a 15 m draining pipe in the final test on site.