Robot provided with a flexible arm that may be deployed by eversion and use thereof in confined areas

A robot comprising an arm deployable from a base including a storage chamber, a control station of said arm and an operator interface,

• said arm being a supple flexible pneumatic arm, in particular intended to be introduced into a confined zone, comprising
• a tubular body mounted on said base, said tubular body comprising a sleeve formed of a turned back supple flexible inflatable membrane the two ends of which are fixed to said base including the storage chamber for the membrane of the sleeve,
• the storage chamber including at least one first inlet for a fluid, termed the first stream of fluid,
• said sleeve being, in the non-deployed state, at least partially folded in the storage chamber and able to be inflated and to be deployed by eversion at the distal end of the tubular body of the arm, termed the apex, from said storage chamber by the action of the first stream of fluid, and, in the deployed state, forming an central inner sheath along the axis of the tubular body, said sheath being able to serve for housing and passage of a flexible tubular element,
• the distal end of the tubular body of the arm, termed the apex, including a head equipped with at least one payload carried by said tubular element and pushed during the deployment of the tubular body, and
• an operator interface controlling the supply of fluid with a view to applying a stream for deployment by eversion of the sleeve from the storage chamber and thus a forward movement of the distal end of the tubular body of the arm of the robot,
• wherein said robot comprises a second fluid supply inlet, termed the second stream of fluid, connected to said sheath formed along the central axis of the tubular body, said second stream of fluid being able to create and to maintain a film of fluid around the tubular element in order to facilitate the introduction into and/or the movement in the sheath of said tubular element and thus the forward movement of the payload.