C2I 2022: Manufacturing Technology winner - Snakes Everywhere!

Avoiding downtime is a priority for any engineering business. And for Rolls-Royce plc, whose pioneering “power by the hour” business model hinges on asset availability, the requirement for technology that can keep jet engines running and avoid disruption has long been a key driver of innovation.

The company’s latest tool - the winner of this year’s C2I award’s manufacturing technology category - represents an exciting advance in this fast-moving area that could benefit not just the aerospace sector, but a host of application areas in difficult to access environments. 

Developed through a long-running partnership with researchers at the University of Nottingham, the snake-like continuum robot is a flexible snake-like robot capable of carrying a range of tools for performing advanced processes within a jet engine without having to remove it from the wing. Rolls-Royce claims the device is more adaptable, more dextrous, and easier to control than existing commercially available in-situ devices (such as borescopes) which lack the reach and dexterity to perform challenging tasks such as component repair or maintenance.