CoreXY
Applied Impact Robotics - Engineering Intern - Summer 2025
Background
Applied Impact Robotics is a startup aimed at engineering the first crude oil tank inspection robot, a project that has been unsuccessfully attempted by other companies numerous times. Certain sensors have trouble with/cannot function in crude oil, and as such, other sensors must be used for the robot to know where it is in the oil tank.*
*Proprietary, cannot be disclosed in detail
Purpose
For the robot to understand its orientation in an oil tank, localization of the sensor suite* was necessary. This was to be accomplished using motion platform in an above ground pool in the company site. After many different concepts in both cartesian and polar coordinate systems, we landed on using CoreXY.
What is and Why CoreXY?
CoreXY is a cartesian motion platform (see picture below) which is used as a gantry system, and is employed by some applicances, such as 3D-printers. CoreXY uses only two motors for (X,Y) motion and relies on tensioning lines for precise motion control. In our version of CoreXY, rotation about the Z-axis was also necessary and had the capacity to be easily implemented. Additionally, CoreXY has flexibility for a wide range of materials. For these reasons, it was selected over less precise designs.
Electronics
I usually specialize in mechanical elements of a system, and for that reason I chose to work on the electronics of the CoreXY to expand my skillset. The electronics simple, needing only a couple resistors, a Teensy 4.1, and an RS-485 breakout board for serial communication with the motor encoders. However, all of these needed to fit inside a 4x4x4 in. junction box and support ethernet connection for the software engineer to perform localization tests. To do this, a perforated board was used in combination with a custom designed lid for wire accessibility and securing the board. I had prior experience with soldering, but not with circuit boards, so the precision of the soldering was completely new to me and took some practice. However, after testing the electronics with the motors, I was successful, enabling localization to be performed.
