TARIS
TELESCAN — a control-and-analytics software suite for SIGMA pipeline-inspection robots: one interface to drive the robot, log defects and build reports right in the field.
TELESCAN is a software suite by TARIS, installed in the control post of the SIGMA tele-inspection robot. It drives an all-wheel-drive robot through the pipe, controls camera and light, logs defects via a built-in classifier and assembles reports — then syncs them to a cloud GIS service. I designed the interface: a real-time robot-control mode and a ‘Projects & reports’ analytics mode, switched with one touch.
Why we took it on
Tele-inspection is real-time work: the operator drives a SIGMA robot through pipes from 200 to 3000 mm, controls the camera (pan, tilt, zoom, focus), light and recording, and tracks the robot's position and travelled path via an odometer. The control post is a rugged case with two touchscreens and two joysticks; work happens in the field, in bright light, often in gloves. And it's not enough to just ‘record video’: every defect must be classified and entered into a report that later lands on a network map.
What blocked — and what changed
What blocked
- Camera, movement, light and recording — dozens of real-time parameters.
- Defects must be classified and logged into the report during the run itself.
- Field work in gloves — small controls and deep menus won't do.
- Control and analytics are split: the report gets built later, from memory.
What changed
- Two modes in one app: robot control and ‘Projects & reports’ — switched with one touch.
- Ring joysticks and large touch zones for gloved control.
- Robot position, pipe cross-section and odometer path — always in view.
- Built-in defect classifier: capture photo/video and code right during the run.
Screens that move the work
Main control screen
All control under the thumbs
The main screen is built for two hands: on the left, a ring for camera and focus (AF/MF, zoom); on the right, a ring for SIGMA's movement. In the centre — position in the pipe cross-section, roll, tilt and odometer path. Large controls are designed for gloved use and need no precise aiming.
- AF/MF and zoom — without diving into menus
- Light and brightness on dedicated sliders
Control · inspection mode
Video first, telemetry on the periphery
During a run, the pipe video and the robot's position come first. Telemetry (distance, angle, speed) is pushed to the periphery in large figures, and logging a defect is one tap: the frame and a classifier code go straight into the report without interrupting the run.
Configuration & reports
Configured for the pipe, reported to the map
Before launch the operator sets the configuration: wheel type for the pipe diameter (200 to 3000 mm), camera and recording parameters. The finished defect report syncs to the IMUS cloud GIS — so the network is visible both as a plan on the map and as a 3D model.
Project palette
The outcome in numbers
By reducing dozens of parameters to two ring joysticks, large peripheral telemetry and one-tap defect logging, the TELESCAN interface merged robot control and report-building into one window. Operators get up to speed faster, and inspection data turns into a network-map report on the spot.