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This study aims to address the issues of limited pipe diameter adaptability and low inspection efficiency of current pipeline inspection robots, a new type of pipeline inspection robot capable of adapting to various pipe diameters was designed.

The diameter-changing mechanism uses a multilink elastic telescopic structure consisting of telescopic rods, connecting rods and wheel frames, driven by a single motor with a helical drive scheme. A geometric model of the position relationships of the hinge points was established based on the two extreme positions of the diameter-changing mechanism.

A pipeline inspection robot was designed using a simple linkage agency, which significantly reduced the weight of the robot and enhanced its adaptive pipe diameter ability. The analysis determined that the robot could accommodate pipe diameters ranging from 332 mm to 438 mm. A static equilibrium equation was established for the robot in the hovering state, and the minimum pressing force of the wheels against the pipe wall was determined to be 36.68 N. After experimental testing, the robots could successfully pass a height of 15 mm, demonstrating the good obstacle capacity of the robot.

This paper explores and proposes a new type of multilink elastic telescopic variable diameter pipeline inspection robot, which has the characteristics of strong adaptability and flexible operation, which makes it more competitive in the field of pipeline inspection robots and has great potential market value.

The robot is characterized by the innovative design of a multilink elastic telescopic structure and the use of a single motor to drive the wheel for spiral motion. On the basis of reducing the weight of the robot, it has good pipeline adaptability, climbing ability and obstacle-crossing ability.

This study examines how maturity mismatch, a specific type of financial structure of firms, affects corporate outward foreign direct investment (OFDI).

Using the number of newly established foreign subsidiaries in a given year as firm-level OFDI and utilizing data from Chinese listed firms between 2007 and 2022, we employ a negative binomial regression model to examine the impact of corporate maturity mismatch on the OFDI. We also make efforts to ensure the robustness of the result, such as employing an exogenous policy to establish a difference-in-difference model.

The empirical result indicates that maturity mismatch inhibits firms' OFDI. Additional test shows that maturity mismatch increases firms' financing costs and reduces firms' research and development (R&D) investment and that the negative impact of maturity mismatch on OFDI is predominantly observed in firms with high financial constraints and low R&D intensity, indicating that maturity mismatch may affect firms' OFDI through the financing cost channel and the R&D investment channel.

Corporate maturity mismatch is common in China and similar emerging markets. However, research on the economic consequences of maturity mismatch, especially its impact on firms' overseas expansions, is rare. This study establishes the relationship between corporate maturity mismatch and OFDI, contributes to the literature on the relationship between financial factors and OFDI, and provides policy implications for emerging market countries.