MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE
JET PROPULSION LABORATORY
CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION
PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE (818) 354-5011
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov

PHOTO CAPTION                         ROBOTIC PAINT STRIPPER
                                      April 12, 2000

     A new robotic device that safely strips paint from the hulls 
of ships without polluting the environment is shown in action 
removing paint from a test wall located at the National Robotics 
Engineering Consortium at Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, 
PA.  The device was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion 
Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, the consortium, and UltraStrip Systems, 
Inc., Stuart, FL.  The system consists of an automated robotic 
device that is magnetized to a ship, a set of high-pressure jet 
streams, and a controller that helps the robot navigate along the 
surface of the ship's hull.  It does not generate toxic dust or 
paint flakes that could pollute nearby areas or be inhaled by 
system operators.  Sandblasting methods that have been used to 
strip paint are unsuitable because of their potential for 
contamination of waters surrounding harbors.

     At the top of the device are housings for two cameras that 
are used for computer vision.  Hydraulic power is provided 
through the dark center cord, while the line off to the right is 
used for high-pressure water to remove the paint.  The yellow 
hose to the left removes the water and paint chips and deposits 
the toxic material safely in a container.  The red areas have not 
been stripped yet, while the dark blue-gray area has been. 

     JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of 
Technology in Pasadena.

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