Work in hard-to-reach spaces is ID-Tec's speciality. The company has developed a whole range of robots for work in pipes and tanks. The non-entry challenge therefore seems tailor-made for the company. In this challenge, ID-Tec is focusing primarily on the ‘Mechanical machining’ category, but they are also including ‘Weld inspection’.

ID-Tec has been providing innovative solutions for the inspection, cleaning, and renovation of pipes and tanks, among other things, for years. This includes tasks such as high-pressure paint and corrosion removal, and visual inspection using cameras. ID-Tec developed a modular basic system for crawlers for this purpose, which can always be relatively easily expanded and adapted depending on the situation. ID-Tec's projects are deployed worldwide.

In this non-entry challenge, ID-Tec wants to investigate whether welding is also a possibility. The biggest challenge will be the accuracy involved. The robot must be able to precisely locate and follow weld seams. ID-Tec wants to see if the company's current base robot can be equipped with image recognition coordination. Such an automated coordination system has previously been used for large welding machines, but never before on a crawler. They will now investigate whether it is best to use an XY frame or a robot arm.

ID-Tec is embracing this challenge with confidence. The company has its own experts and resources in-house for all associated work, from design and mechanical development to chip and PCB programming. Thanks to the existing modular system, significant progress is expected to be made quickly.