Flexible tools (which for some examples may be referred to as ‘snake-arm robots’) may be used to perform inspections and machining in hazardous or confined spaces. For example, such flexible tools may be used where the nature of the space or the presence of obstructions means that there is no line-of-sight access to the region of interest within the space. Such confined spaces exist in many different systems, across a wide range of technologies, for example in nuclear engineering, aircraft, gas turbine engines, industrial plants, shipbuilding, buildings, roads and pipelines.
Flexible tools have a ‘work volume’ that may be defined as the volume through which the end of the flexible tool may move. In some systems, the work volume of a flexible tool may be insufficient to machine or inspect a desired object. For example, the work volume of a flexible tool may extend forty five degrees about a longitudinal axis of the flexible tool. Where a desired object to be machined or inspected is positioned beyond forty five degrees, the flexible tool may not be able to reach the desired object. In such circumstances, it may be necessary to disassemble the system to enable machining or inspection of the object. Such disassembly may be relatively time consuming and costly for the owner of the system.