The Robotics of Energy
Aaron Becker, associate professor at UH’s Cullen College of Engineering, uses robotics to solve some of the energy industry’s trickiest problems.
The Robotics of Energy
Aaron Becker, associate professor at UH’s Cullen College of Engineering, uses robotics to solve some of the energy industry’s trickiest problems.
Aaron Becker has always been interested in robots. It’s just that, up until he decided to pursue postgraduate studies, he could never quite get his hands on one.
He asked Santa Claus for a robot when he was 6, but it never came. As an undergrad at Iowa State University, he figured a degree in computer science might be the ticket. No such luck.
“I said, ‘Man, I’ve got to go back to grad school. I want to make sure this time,’” Becker says. “I want to understand [robotics] and figure out how to make things move and change their environment.”
A program in control systems at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign finally introduced him to the world of robotics. Since earning a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering in 2012, Becker hasn’t looked back.
He joined the faculty at the University of Houston in 2014, where he runs a swarm robotics lab and works as an associate professor at the Cullen College of Engineering. He also manages a YouTube channel (youtube.com/@AaronBecker), where his videos have garnered tens of thousands of views.
Solving problems within the energy industry has become a major area of focus. Becker has spent the last decade researching and developing processes that keep workers safer, improve productivity and optimize systems within the industry. The trick, he says, is to get your hands dirty, identify a pain point and use robotics to solve the issue.
“We’re pushed by novelty,” Becker says. “As a professor, writing the third paper about a topic is no good. But finding some ideas that haven’t been applied and where you can show a benefit — that’s a happy spot to be.”
The need for robotics in energy
It just so happens that the industry is ripe for the sort of problem solving Becker gravitates toward. The “three D’s of robotics” dictate that robots can help humans do jobs that are dirty, dangerous or dull. The energy sector has all three in spades.
First, the dirty, which can mean many different things. Something can be dirty because it’s full of carcinogens, for instance. Other times, we’re talking about work carried out inside dark and grimy locations, as in mining or extraction.
“The typical view of an oil well is a very dirty place,” Becker says. “If you can make a robot or machinery do that, it’s much better for the human.”
Those places come with their own dangers, as well. But Becker’s go-to example of a dangerous job best fit for a robot happens thousands of feet under water, where atmospheric pressure introduces massive risk to human workers.
Finally, the dull. Whereas the human brain can get bored and tired, reaching a point of diminishing returns, “A robot can inspect 10,000 bolts with exactly as much enthusiasm as it had for the first 10,” he says.
All that said, Becker doesn’t see robotics as a replacement for human jobs. Although some kinds of jobs may go away entirely, most robots will simply allow human workers to become more productive, focusing on the highest-value tasks.
How robotics impact energy today
When it comes to the energy industry, robots aren’t some far-out idea. They’re here, and they’re creating a massive amount of efficiency.
“We’ve already turned the corner,” Becker says. “A refinery is basically an enormous robot. You’ve got pumps, you’ve got heaters, you’ve got sensors everywhere, and they’re all flowing into computers that are making all sorts of decisions beyond what any one person could do.”
Use cases abound. In one growing trend, oil and gas companies are attaching a robot to a portion of a 3-mile-long drill string, allowing constant assessment and analysis.
Drones, too, have become a massive piece of the puzzle, helping detect what human senses cannot. “They can see a chemical leak,” Becker says. “They can tell if there’s carbon dioxide or methane that is bubbling off from something. Those are superhuman abilities.”
They can also reconstruct an entire facility in digital form, mirroring the physical components down to the millimeter. “You can zoom in and see how rusty every bolt is,” Becker says.
Of course, these new technologies also present new challenges. Drones and many other kinds of robots must be able to move around freely, for instance, but doing so for an extended period requires significant battery power. It’s vitally important, then, that we scale up both our battery availability and our ability to store renewable energy such as solar.
“These are true constraints,” Becker says. “They’re problems that are going to keep Ph.D. students and the industry working for a long time.”
Associate Professor Aaron Becker
Associate Professor Aaron Becker
Becker’s robotics research prioritizes improving worker safety and optimizing energy systems.
Becker’s robotics research prioritizes improving worker safety and optimizing energy systems.
Becker’s go-to example of a dangerous job fit for a robot happens thousands of feet under water, where atmospheric pressure introduces massive risk to human workers.
Becker’s go-to example of a dangerous job fit for a robot happens thousands of feet under water, where atmospheric pressure introduces massive risk to human workers.
AARON BECKER HAS always been interested in robots. It’s just that, up until he decided to pursue postgraduate studies, he could never quite get his hands on one.
He asked Santa Claus for a robot when he was 6, but it never came. As an undergrad at Iowa State University, he figured a degree in computer science might be the ticket. No such luck.
“I said, ‘Man, I’ve got to go back to grad school. I want to make sure this time,’” Becker says. “I want to understand [robotics] and figure out how to make things move and change their environment.”
A program in control systems at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign finally introduced him to the world of robotics. Since earning a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering in 2012, Becker hasn’t looked back.
Associate Professor Aaron Becker
Associate Professor Aaron Becker
He joined the faculty at the University of Houston in 2014, where he runs a swarm robotics lab and works as an associate professor at the Cullen College of Engineering. He also manages a YouTube channel (youtube.com/@AaronBecker), where his videos have garnered tens of thousands of views.
Solving problems within the energy industry has become a major area of focus. Becker has spent the last decade researching and developing processes that keep workers safer, improve productivity and optimize systems within the industry. The trick, he says, is to get your hands dirty, identify a pain point and use robotics to solve the issue.
“We’re pushed by novelty,” Becker says. “As a professor, writing the third paper about a topic is no good. But finding some ideas that haven’t been applied and where you can show a benefit — that’s a happy spot to be.”
The need for robotics in energy
It just so happens that the industry is ripe for the sort of problem-solving Becker gravitates toward. The “three D’s of robotics” dictate that robots can help humans do jobs that are dirty, dangerous or dull. The energy sector has all three in spades.
First, the dirty, which can mean many different things. Something can be dirty because it’s full of carcinogens, for instance. Other times, we’re talking about work carried out inside dark and grimy locations, as in mining or extraction.
“The typical view of an oil well is a very dirty place,” Becker says. “If you can make a robot or machinery do that, it’s much better for the human.”
Those places come with their own dangers, as well. But Becker’s go-to example of a dangerous job best fit for a robot happens thousands of feet under water, where atmospheric pressure introduces massive risk to human workers.
Finally, the dull. Whereas the human brain can get bored and tired, reaching a point of diminishing returns, “A robot can inspect 10,000 bolts with exactly as much enthusiasm as it had for the first 10,” he says.
All that said, Becker doesn’t see robotics as a replacement for human jobs. Although some kinds of jobs may go away entirely, most robots will simply allow human workers to become more productive, focusing on the highest-value tasks.
How robotics impact energy today
When it comes to the energy industry, robots aren’t some far-out idea. They’re here, and they’re creating a massive amount of efficiency.
“We’ve already turned the corner,” Becker says. “A refinery is basically an enormous robot. You’ve got pumps, you’ve got heaters, you’ve got sensors everywhere, and they’re all flowing into computers that are making all sorts of decisions beyond what any one person could do.”
Use cases abound. In one growing trend, oil and gas companies are attaching a robot to a portion of a 3-mile-long drill string, allowing constant assessment and analysis.
Drones, too, have become a massive piece of the puzzle, helping detect what human senses cannot. “They can see a chemical leak,” Becker says. “They can tell if there’s carbon dioxide or methane that is bubbling off from something. Those are superhuman abilities.”
They can also reconstruct an entire facility in digital form, mirroring the physical components down to the millimeter. “You can zoom in and see how rusty every bolt is,” Becker says.
Of course, these new technologies also present new challenges. Drones and many other kinds of robots must be able to move around freely, for instance, but doing so for an extended period requires significant battery power. It’s vitally important, then, that we scale up both our battery availability and our ability to store renewable energy such as solar.
“These are true constraints,” Becker says. “They’re problems that are going to keep Ph.D. students and the industry working for a long time.”
Built with Shorthand