Half-Cell Potential: Locate Corrosion Before It Becomes a Structural Problem
What it is
Half-cell potential (HCP) is a surface corrosion-scanning payload that HB2 or HB3 carries across a structure, rather than a handheld probe an operator has to walk over the asset themselves. Mounting it on the robot means potential surveys can reach the same hard-to-access tanks, walls, and columns that HausBots’ other payloads already reach, without scaffolding, rope access, or an extended shutdown to get a person onto the surface.
A one-wheel electrode rolls across the concrete, wirelessly streaming voltage readings over Bluetooth to build a continuous corrosion-potential map rather than a series of manual spot tests — including on vertical and overhead surfaces a handheld unit can’t cover.
At a glance
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Captures | Corrosion potential of embedded rebar, continuous voltage mapping of actively corroding or corrosion-prone areas |
| Platform | HB2 & HB3 |
| Best for | Corrosion condition assessment on vertical and overhead concrete, walls, columns, tanks, and soffits |
| Usually combined with | Static Camera or PTZ Camera, for a matched visual and corrosion record |
| Sensor specifics | 3000 mV to +3000 mV range, ±1 mV resolution; wheel encoder accurate to ±0.5 mm + 0.78% of measured length |
Half-Cell Potential
Overview
HB2 and HB3 can carry a one-wheel half-cell electrode, letting the robot map corrosion potential directly rather than requiring a handheld probe and an operator walking the surface. The electrode connects wirelessly over Bluetooth to an iPad, streaming readings in real time as it scans.
Use case
- Detects areas of actively corroding or corrosion-prone rebar
- Ideal for infrastructure nearing the end of design life — bridges, cooling towers, and similar reinforced concrete structures
- Assesses corrosion activity before repair, and validates repair effectiveness afterwards
- Corrosion potential mapping contributes to modelling the long-term performance of reinforced concrete
Features
Corrosion potential measurement
Voltage measurement from –3000 mV to +3000 mV at ±1 mV resolution, to flag actively corroding or corrosion-prone rebar.
Wireless, tether-free scanning
Bluetooth connection to iPad streams live data without tethering the robot to a laptop or handheld reader.
Line and area scanning
A one-wheel electrode is built for vertical and overhead surfaces, not just handheld spot testing.
Fast coverage
Scans at up to 1 m/s, so large vertical zones need less repositioning of the robot.
Precise spatial tracking
Lightweight payload
1.9 kg probe and mount, with minimal impact on climbing and adhesion performance.
GPR + visual payloads
Half-cell is usually carried alongside a visual payload, so the corrosion-potential map has a matching image of surface condition from the same pass.
Half-cell + Static Camera
Full, automatic visual coverage of the survey pass alongside the corrosion scan the default combination for a baseline condition survey.
Half-cell + PTZ Camera
Operator-directed close-up follow-up on anything the half-cell scan or visual record flags, without re-running the survey with a different payload.
Want a full picture of your concrete asset?
Book a demo and HausBots will scope the right payload combination for your structure.
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