Pipeline Exploration Robot Regular inspection of pipelines is a key factor in ensuring safe transport and finding pipe leakages or blockages for a wide variety of applications , e.g. oil and gas transport. Using pipeline exploration robots to enter pipelines and carry out inspection work with HD cameras greatly increases Efficiency and quality of inspection. A pipeline exploration robot system includes a control station and a robot. A control station is a single board computer or a PC responsible for receiving, storing and displaying video signals sent by robots as well as controlling robots’behavior by sending instructions. Pipeline exploration robots consist of a multimedia application processor, status and environment information, camera and a communication system. The application processors controls robots’ movements and operate the camera system based on the instructions sent by the control station, while simultaneously sending robot status and encoded video signals back to the control station. Pipeline exploration robots usually use wheels or caterpillar tracks (履带) as their moving system because gas/ oil pipelines always have a large diameter. An individual moving system of this kind is equipped with multiple brushless motors to ensure the capability of overcoming obstacles. The status and environment information system is composed of a rotary encoder (旋转编码器) , an electronic compass, a 3—axis accelerometer and temperature & humidity sensors. The system can provide general information about robots’locations, speed and inclination angle, temperature & humidity data which are helpful for the operators to make decisions on robot behavior control. The camera system consists of motion control and video processing units, and usually is coupled with an ultrasonic sensor to detect the thickness status of pipelines. The motion control unit has a servo motor to adjust the camera’s height and rotation so that all the areas in the pipelines can be scanned by camera. The task of video signal processing is handled by imaging sensors and multimedia application processors which work together to implement video capture , signal conversion and encoding processes. In order to achieve better communication quality and longer distance, the encoded video and control signals are combined into a single signal by a FPGA (现场可编程门阵列) included in the communication system, and then processed by a serializer to produce LVDS (Low Voltage Differential Signal) to be transmitted through twisted-pair cables. If signals have to travel a much longer distance, fiber-optic cables could be a good option as they can cover distances up to several kilometers. As robotics technology develops, future pipeline exploration robots would feature more sophisticated A. I. (Artificial Intelligence), making them capable of “thinking and working” with minimum human intervention.