IDI was chosen to provide engineering, design, and technical writing services to assist Hill Air Force Base with the preparation of a Requirements Document in order to seek a source capable of the design, build, and installation of a Remotely Operated Robotic Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) System. This system would inspect USAF Fighter Aircraft for structural problems without having to disassemble the aircraft. Currently, aircraft are inspected using Shearography and X-ray on disassembled aircraft components. The current inspection effort included disassembly, inspection, and re-assembly, which is extremely time-consuming and costly. Hill AFB intended to identify new and innovative technology, coupled with lessons learned, to inspect the intact aircraft in a new environmentally controlled hangar on the base.

IDI provided conceptual design services which included 3D layouts of the hangar and the aircraft, as well as various options in 3D for the robotics. IDI provided Robotics Engineering expertise and worked with robotics vendors in an effort to identify appropriate technologies that could be deployed for the inspections.