Method and apparatus for the inspection or operational observation of dangerous, harsh spaces or spaces with hostile environmental conditions

An apparatus for inspection of a hostile or harsh environment comprising:

• a sensorized device (26) comprising a plurality of image sensors (42,44,46,48) positioned with different orientations with respect to each other, so as to detect image data or a plurality of images in a sequence forming a video of said hostile or harsh environment;
• a support (30) adapted to support said sensorized device in said hostile or harsh environment;
• a processor of said image data adapted to generate one or both of a spherical or three-dimensional image either static or as a sequence forming the video based on said image data;
• and
• a remote display device with respect to said sensorized device (26), adapted to be positioned outside the hostile or harsh environment and in communication with at least the processor of the image data,
• wherein said apparatus is adapted for said hostile or harsh environment, said hostile or harsh environment being in a high temperature furnace and having one or both of temperature characteristics or atmospheric contaminants harmful or dangerous for human beings,
• wherein said plurality of sensors having different orientations with respect to each other are sensors that detect contemporaneous image data of at least 60% of 4π steradians of said hostile or harsh environment,
• wherein said plurality of image sensors (42, 44, 46, 48) are housed inside a single protective shell (52),
• wherein said protective shell is polyhedral, and
• wherein said plurality of image sensors are disposed inside said protective shell to each view through a different one of at least five faces of said protective shell;
• further comprising a stable positioning system, adapted to position the sensorized device (26) consistently in a same, predetermined position within said hostile or harsh environment during subsequent inspections.