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Use InRobot

Access InRobot

To access InRobot and start planning missions and navigating a robot, you must sign in.

To sign in to InRobot:

  1. Navigate to https://inrobot.cogniteapp.com/.
  2. Enter your Customer ID and sign in with your credentials.

Once you've signed in, you get access to the InRobot application and the robot connected to it. With InRobot, you can work with everyday tasks, such as:

  • Operator rounds: An operator navigates the robot, inspects assets, and collects data.
  • Auto-scans: A robot scans the area with a 360-view camera without the operator's navigation.
  • Condition monitoring: A robot performs autonomous condition monitoring of several equipment pieces, collects the data, and sends it to Cognite Data Fusion (CDF).

Basic InRobot functionality

Before you plan missions, you should familiarize yourself with the actions you can perform with the robot. Within the InRobot application, depending on the robot's equipment and capabilities, you can:

Take photos:

  • Pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ): The camera can turn left to right, tilt up and down, and zoom in and out of a scene.
  • 360-degree: The camera can capture every visual angle in the horizontal plane.
  • Pan-tilt-zoom infrared (PTZ IR): The camera can turn left to right, tilt up and down, and zoom in and out of a scene. It can also measure temperature and give a picture and video of an object.

Record videos:

The robot can record videos up to 60 seconds with infrared, 360-degree, and pant-tilt-zoom cameras.

Read gauges:

  • Dial: The dial gauge accurately measures minor differences in the height and length of mechanical components and displacements.
  • Digital: The digital gauge checks a liquid's or gas's pressure and provides a direct reading on a digital display.
  • Level: The level gauge measures the level of liquid or gasses inside a tank or a storage container.
  • Valve: The ball valve controls the flow of fluids and gasses with the help of a rotating ball.

Manage controls

You can find the alignment controls at the top right of the 3D screen. On this panel, you can:

  • Select waypoint map: Select the waypoint map to work with from the Waypoint map dropdown list. Set the map to default to see it every time you sign in to InRobot.

  • Align robot map: Update the alignment of the existing waypoints:

    1. Select Align robot map and update the values.
    2. Select Save alignment to save the changes.
  • Slice model: To remove or add layers on the map, use the Slicing plane slider or an input field. It helps you find waypoints, the robot, and assets on the map.

  • Move map to model: Move the waypoints to the 3D model. Adjust the position of waypoints if needed.

  • Drag and drop map: Move all waypoints from right to left and up and down.

  • Align 2D map: Update the alignment of a 2D map to a 3D map by changing the 2D map coordinates, and then Save 2D alignment.

Interact with video stream

Select the Video room screen to interact with the robot's video stream. In the top right, you can select the camera type and robot actions. Click the area on the screen where you want the robot to look or go.

  • Undock: The robot can detach itself from the docking station.
  • Dock: The robot will return to the docking station when it has completed the mission or requires a recharge.
  • Sit: The robot will rest and save energy if you need to pause or don't need the robot.
  • Stand: The robot starts moving.
  • Self-right: The robot can get back on its feet if it has lost its balance.
  • Reboot robot: The robot turns off and then turns on.
  • Emergency stop: The robot's power turns off without docking the robot. Use the emergency stop if you can't stop the robot with the other commands or the operation is no longer safe.

Control the robot remotely

With InRobot, you can run automated missions, navigate the robot, and inspect assets. Before you operate the robot, make sure that:

  • The robot is connected to the internet.
  • The robot is fully charged.
  • The robot is in a safe location.
  • People aren't too close to the robot, and they're aware of the robot.

To control the robot remotely:

  1. Select the robot and click Control to connect to the robot. The power will turn on automatically.
  2. In the upper right, select More options (⋮) to navigate the robot.
  3. Optional. On the Control tab:
    • In the Navigation section, select an asset to inspect and click Navigate. You can also select a waypoint on the map.
    • In the Payload controls, adjust the settings of a PTZ camera, dial gauge reading, etc., or take an image of the selected asset.
  4. When the robot completes the mission, select Dock to return the robot to the docking station.
  5. Optional. On the Control tab, select Release control to let another operator control the robot.

Create a mission

You need to plan and create missions for a robot to run without an operator's control.

To plan a mission:

  1. Select the robot and then select Mission > + Create mission.

  2. Name the mission, select a robot map from the dropdown list, and click Create. Learn how to create robot maps.

  3. Use New inspection point to add an asset to the mission. An inspection point connects a waypoint, an action, and an asset. It tells the robot where the asset is located and what action to perform on the asset.

    You can add inspection points in three ways:

    • Start typing the asset's name and select it from the list of suggestions.
    • Add a new asset by creating its name and clicking the plus icon. Select the waypoint to connect the newly created asset to its location on the map.
    • Add a list of assets separated by commas and click the plus icon.
  4. Optional. Use Remove waypoint (X) to change a set waypoint, and then select a new waypoint to associate with the asset. A waypoint connected to an asset gets a colored pin on top. The pin color should match the dot color to the left of the inspection point.

  5. For every inspection point, select an action type and a subtype that the robot will perform on this asset.

    note

    Add the same asset as many times as the number of actions you want the robot to perform on it, but keep the number of assets and actions within the recommended mission duration of 45 minutes.

  6. Select Save.

  7. Optional. To save a mission as a draft, click Cancel.

You've now created the mission and can view, edit, delete, or run it on the Mission tab.

Run a mission

Once you've created your first mission, you can assign the robot to perform independent asset inspection.

To run a mission:

  1. Select the robot and click Mission.
  2. In the Search field, enter a mission name or select one from the list.
  3. Optional. To review and edit inspection points, click Edit mission.
  4. Click Run mission. You can follow the robot on the map via the robot cameras or logs. When the mission is over, the robot navigates back to the docking station and sends the collected data to CDF.

Schedule a mission

You can schedule the robot to perform single or recurring missions autonomously.

Important

Make sure that nobody controls the robot before the start of the scheduled mission. Otherwise, the mission won't start.

To schedule a mission:

  1. Select the Schedule tab > +Schedule mission.

or

  1. Select the Mission tab > More options (⋮) next to the mission you want to schedule > Schedule.
  2. Schedule a single mission or recurring mission runs.

Once you've scheduled the mission, you can edit or delete runs or skip a mission run without editing the schedule.

Review mission data

The data collected by the robot during its mission reaches CDF in one of three ways:

  • The robot sends the data every 5 seconds.
  • The robot stores the data collected and sends it at the end of its mission.
  • If there's a connection issue, the robot stores the data it collects and sends it after reaching the docking station and connecting to the internet.

The data collected are available in InRobot and in Cognite Data Fusion.

In InRobot, the Reports tab lets you view the robot's mission details. You can also view the details of a specific run within a mission or get a closer look at the robot's actions, such as a measured value of a gauge or an infrared image of an asset.

In CDF, you can review the data with:

  • Charts: Analyze and troubleshoot time series data from an asset reading, for example, temperature changes. Using the Equipment tag and Time Series ID tabs, you can find the time series associated with the asset.
  • Data Explorer: Find, verify, visualize, and learn about the data collected by the robot.
  • Image and video management: View data of asset readings of images and videos taken by the robot.

Based on the review, you can improve your robotics missions and ensure good-quality data capture.