When using Reach Robotics manipulators, you may come across a warning in the Health Panel that states the unit has a leak warning. See this FAQ for more details.
This does not necessarily mean the unit is damaged, and in the case of Alpha manipulators, can sometimes occur due to extended storage times.
Our manipulators are ultimately designed for use in water, and while they can be used in air for short periods of time, they are most effective when submerged.
We specify the surface roughness of Alpha sealing surfaces at 0.8µm, which is the recommended rating for sealing in water and other fluids. Sealing in air requires a surface roughness of 0.4µm (i.e. a smoother surface), as air particles are much smaller than water particles and can breach seals more easily.
The reduced size of the Alpha also means that the O-rings used are particularly small and have a smaller surface area when compressed than comparable seals in Bravo or Reach X.
This combination of increased surface roughness and reduced seal surface area means that over a long period of time stored in air, the Alpha can experience slow air ingress through all seals.
This will usually manifest as an increase in pressure across all joints at roughly the same rate. The exact rate of air ingress will depend on how often the unit is used in water and for how long it is stored between deployments.
If your Alpha has been stored for a while and develops a leak warning, it's most likely slow air ingress.
We still recommend getting in touch with Support to verify that your unit is safe to submerge. If the unit is older than 1 year, Support will always recommend servicing to ensure that the seals and sealing surfaces are undamaged.