Applied Research Laboratory wins award for innovative approach to maintenance

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA. — The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) announced that the Multifunctional Automated Repair System (MARS) developed by a team from the Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State was the overall winner of the 2021 CTMA Technology Competition. The MARS was selected among 96 entries as the most innovative and far-reaching technology.

Developed in the Materials Science Division of the Applied Research Laboratory, MARS is a turn-key system that is easily transportable for in situ repair and sustainment of ships, submarines, ground vehicles, and many other vehicles and structures.

“The system was developed to meet an urgent need for maintenance and repair across the Department of Defense (DoD) and can easily be transitioned to a variety of industrial applications,” said Tim Eden, the principal investigator on the project. “Winning this award is important because it shows the ability of the Applied Research Lab to rapidly respond to DoD-wide problems with innovative solutions.”

According to Tony Naccarelli, an engineer working on the project, the MARS is quickly reconfigurable, can interface with different robots, has a user-friendly interface and control system, can be quickly adapted to accept new tools and includes video-based tutorials for each operation.

Specifially, the MARS features a number of different tools for inspecting, preparing, and repairing surfaces and parts. The system uses a different approach than most other repair systems in that the MARS is used at the point of need. Traditionally, a damaged part would have to be removed for repair but in-situ repairs could allow for drastically decreased costs and asset down-time.

The MARS uses many commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components and each end effector — a device at the end of a robotic arm, designed to interact with the environment — uses readily available quick change fittings to attach to the robot. As such, it can be configured to perform specific functions to reduce cost, complexity and development time. It also uses high-definition video cameras which make it possible to operate the system without being exposed to hazardous materials or entering confined spaces. Additional features include dynamic surface following in order to adjust end effector position to follow curved surfaces in real-time, automatic tool recognition and embedded virtual reality for enhanced training and function.

“During the design process, we solicited end-user feedback so we could optimize the system’s versatility and ease of use,” said Tim Eden. “As a result, we expect that the MARS will eventually place emerging technology directly into the hands of the next generation of sailors, soldiers and support contractors.”

Tim Eden added, “The development of the MARS showcases the ability of the Penn State Applied Research Laboratory to assemble a multidisciplinary team to develop and demonstrate a reconfigurable, complex system that incorporates existing and emerging technologies in an agile, reconfigurable manner. Currently, the system is gaining more visibility across the DoD and private industry which is valuable as the team at the Applied Research Lab works to transition the MARS to the Navy.”

To learn more about the programs and industry-leading research happening at Penn State, visit the web sites of the Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State.

Read more about the development of MARS in this online article, "Navy Debuts Future State Technology to Automate Maintenance on Ships."