Wall-Climbing Mobile Robot for Inspecting DEMO Vacuum Vessel

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Well written, thorough, good problem, good solution.

Very minor details.

* Why is the robot not tethered? and thus why does it have power constraints?

* Fig20 is poor, compared to good work put in. Its blurry and small and unclear. Make a clearer picture. A link to a youtube video would be great in the abstract of a robot on a pocked wall!

* What is a bionic material?

* Maybe comment on ejection of settled dust?

* Maybe briefly discuss how it would cope with geometric corners or entering the vessel.

Author Response

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Reviewer 2 Report

1. The abstract is vague and it has to be rewritten in more clarified way.

2.  The introduction section includes general information, but the objective are not focused. In addition, the authors have to explain where one can apply the elements of study for each paragraph of introduction.

3. The literature review is absent. The introduction has to be enriched by relevant researches. https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.1177/1729881420929498, https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.15866/ireaco.v12i5.16556

4. The contribution has not been stated clearly.

5. The concept and technology of robot tasks are not addressed clearly. The technique and technology of welding detection is not understood in this study.

6. In kinematic modelling, Eq.(1) to Eq.(11) are found in most robotic text books and researches. Please, try to cite these equations.

7. There is no path planning analysis according to environment suggested by this stud.

8. The dynamic model has not presented or analyzed as if the authors have treated with mobile robot as mass point..

9.  Why have the authors use the desired trajectory as indicated and described by Figure (6).

10. The caption of Figure (6) tells that there is timing diagrams. Where is the time in the different axes?

11.  The impeller dynamic has to be combined with robot dynamic.

12. What is the type of sensor in the absorption system?

13. What is the physical nature of input and output of absorption?

14. The authors have to explain type of three phase induction motor, brushless DC motor or three phase induction motor with squirrel cage rotor or with wound rotor In line 324, the authors mention three-phase motor, while in Line 339, the authors mentioned DC motor. I think the authors talk about brushless DC motor. Please, cite when necessary. All these equations are present in machine theory.

15. In line 333, where is the "transformation function" that transformed Matrix form of Eq.(17) into Eq.(18)?

16. Is Eq.(17) in vector sense or in scalar sense? In the next analysis, the equation became scalar!!!

17. On which assumption Eq.(17) has been reduced to Eq.(19)?!!

18. Yes, this RBF-based SMC has been addressed in Ref. (30), but what are the number radial basis functions in the neural structure?

19. Please, the stability analysis has to be more clarified. Eq.(26) to Eq.(32). Please, consult the Ref.(30).

20. The adaptive laws have to be plotted to show their boundness! This is a critical point in adaptive control.

21.  The dynamic of robot including its chassis, motor dynamic and propeller dynamic has to be addressed.

22. The authors have not mention the important issue in this study; the localization of mobile robot. If his robot has been run experimentally, the actual location has to be taken into account.

23. Where are the experimental results of robot motion and sensing?

Comments for author File: Comments.docx

Author Response

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Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 3 Report

This manuscript needs to be revised to address the following questions:

1. In section 1, the authors should supplement the literature on the application of RBF networks, especially in mobile robots. The authors should identify the problems that need to be solved by the RBF neural network.

2. Regarding RBFNN, the authors cite the literature inappropriately. In section 5.2, the authors should state that the RBFNN was proposed by who and cite the relevan literature. 

3. In section 6, the authors should give the parameters of the RBFNN.

Author Response

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Round 2

Reviewer 2 Report

1. The authors have to plot the response of propeller force with respect to time during the robot motion.

2. The authors have to plot the actual and estimated parameters of the adaptive laws.

3. The specifications of sensors has not been demonstrated.

4. The authors mention in line 398 that the drawn current is 35 A. This current is extremely high for this applications. Please, this is unreasonable value.

5. The dynamic of robot has not been taken into account either in analysis or practically.

6.  The mechanism of robot localization has not been clarified.

7. The instantaneous power consumption has to be traced along the trajectory of robot.

Author Response

Thanks for the comments, we have answered each question and uploaded them to the attachment. Please check.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf