The Department of Defense, specifically the United States Air Force, is seeking innovative solutions through the SBIR program for the development of autonomous robotic systems capable of inspecting confined spaces, such as fuel tanks. The objective is to research and develop software controls and sensing technologies that enable robots to navigate and perform detailed inspections in hazardous environments without human intervention, addressing challenges such as low oxygen levels and toxic gases. This initiative is critical for maintaining operational readiness and safety in military and industrial settings, as current inspection methods are labor-intensive and time-consuming. The solicitation, numbered AF254-D0824, is set to open on May 28, 2025, with applications due by June 25, 2025. Interested parties can find more information and submit proposals through the official SBIR website.

## Description

Confined or enclosed spaces such as fuel tanks are common across several military and industrial settings. They require regular exploration, internal inspections, and surveillance to the extent that they are hazardous to humans due to their low or unhealthy levels of oxygen, presence of toxic gases, and threat of flooding. Recent advances in robotics and sensors have eased external structural inspections. However, enclosed and confined spaces require robust map generation and localization. These robots must perform dexterous inspections (macro and micro) in low or zero light, adapt in real time to different shapes and geometries during inspections, and detect any critical or structural defects&mdash;all without relying on a working network connection or infrastructure.As an example, current fuel tank inspections either require humans to crawl within a tight fuel tank or tele-operate a robot to take pictures of various clips, rivets, stringers and other components and to inspect tanks for cracks or signs of structural damage. Depending on what needs to be inspected and repaired, these inspections can range from a single shift to a few days to complete. This severely limits the number of fuel tanks that can be inspected in a reasonable amount of time and to meet the stringent requirements that the Air Force maintains in order to keep the fleet operational.With the proper sensing and robotic controls in place, inspection robots can function efficiently and autonomously in closed spaces. Existing robotic systems require tele-operations and risk collision during retrieval or retraction. The development of this technology will allow robots to safely and autonomously inspect closed areas, such as fuel tanks, characterized by different geometries and dimensions, making these inspection systems more agile and impactful.

## Objective

Research, evaluate, and select the proper sensing required and to develop software controls needed to enable robots to autonomously navigate within and with the required dexterously to inspect closed or confined spaces that are susceptible to unhealthy or low levels of oxygen, and/or may contain materials or noxious gasses that are hazardous to humans. The system will be prototyped with an existing robotic system at an air logistics complex.

## Phase I

For this Direct-to-Phase II topic, evaluators are expecting that the submittal firm demonstrate the ability to autonomously inspect materials or objects safely in real-world environments with varying dynamic factors such as humans, birds, weather etc. through the use of Commercial Off The Shelf sensors. Demonstrate the accuracy and integration of these sensors into robotic systems and accurate performance of the robotic control system for inspections. 

## Phase II

Develop a working prototype to autonomously navigate within and inspect closed spaces (such as fuel tanks) while accounting for unseen situations and scenarios using an existing air logistics complex robotic system. Maximizing the efficiency of the robotic system by allowing the robot(s) to operate autonomously and inspect fuel tanks of varying aircraft in a real-world environment with minimal external safety systems and no manual programming in this is critical.

## Phase III: Dual Use Applications

If the Phase II is successful in developing the technology, the government would like to pursue a phase III to refine hardware and software in order to increase accuracy and reliability of developed system. This will create a production-ready state for marketing to the Air Force, other related federal agencies, and private industry.

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