Rev A prototype build Oct 2026 · Field pilots Q1 2027

Every tank on the line.
Watched 24/7.

Tankline Robotics builds clamp-on tank level sensors and a robot valve operator for frac water transfer, so crews stop walking the tank line all night and start getting alerts before a tank overflows or runs dry.

Request a pilot → See how it works

Tank Level Stick · Rev A

13 levelsfloat switches, 6 in to 78 in

LTE-Mcellular reporting, no site Wi-Fi needed

Clamp-onhooks over the rim, no tank modifications

Per tank / dayrented, install and removal included

The problem

The tank line still runs on people walking it

On a frac job, water sits in rows of frac tanks and seavans and moves between them through pumps and manual ball valves. Someone has to know every level, all night, in every kind of weather.

Overflow = a spill

Miss a rising tank and it goes over the top: cleanup, reporting and a very bad day with the operator.

Dry tank = a stopped stage

Let the suction side run low and the blender starves. The stage stops and the whole spread waits on water.

3 AM ladder checks

Today it's climbing ladders, reading sight glasses and cracking valves by hand, every hour, on every tank.

Product 1 · Tank Level Stick

A level sensor you hang on the rim

A stainless float string inside a perforated stilling well, read by a cellular controller on top. It clamps to any frac tank or seavan in minutes and reports the level to the dashboard and the crew's phones.

Sensing13 stainless reed float switches every 6 in, 6 to 78 in above the floor
Fault detectionOne signal wire tells level and flags a cut or crushed cable
ControllerESP32-S3 with LTE-M / NB-IoT cellular and GPS in an IP67 enclosure
Power3 × 18650 lithium cells, optional small solar panel
MountWelded rim-hook bracket, clamp screw, switchable magnet, safety lanyard
BuildDocumented to aerospace-style work instructions with test gates

Every part, assembled (CAD model)

Hang it: hand-tight, no tools

How it reads: floats close as water rises, the top one trips HIGH

Hang it

Hook the bracket over the tank rim, snug the clamp screw, switch on the magnet, clip the lanyard.

It reads

As water rises, floats close one by one. The controller turns that into a level to the nearest 6 in.

It reports

Levels go over the cellular network to the cloud, with battery and signal health for every unit.

You get warned

HIGH, HIGH-HIGH, LOW and LOW-LOW alarms hit the dashboard and phones before it becomes a problem.

The hardware

Built like flight hardware

Designed to be laser-cut, TIG-welded and painted, with stainless floats and fasteners. Every part is in the CAD model, every step is in a written build instruction, and every unit passes its tests before it goes near a location.

Black painted TIG-welded rim-hook bracket with standoff tabs and weld nut — **Rim-hook bracket**1/4 in A36 steel, TIG-welded, gloss black

Brushed stainless reed float switch with M10 threaded stem and two hex nuts — **Float switch**Stainless reed float, one every 6 in

Float station: stainless float switch on a printed saddle clamped to the float rod — **Float station**Printed ASA saddle on the float rod

Switchable magnetic base bolted to a black steel plate on a stainless U-bolt — **Magnet mount**Switchable magnet pins the well to the tank wall

Six laser-cut black steel bracket parts laid flat — **Laser-cut kit**Six parts, cut to the CAD, P/N marked

Mounting hardware: stainless U-bolt, plate, nuts, weld nut, clamp screw, bolt, rubber bumper and white safety lanyard — **Mounting hardware**304 stainless, knurled clamp screw, safety lanyard

Product renderings generated from our Rev A CAD. Shop photos arrive with the October 2026 build.

The software

The whole tank farm on one screen

A supervisor dashboard for the company man or transfer lead, and a phone view for the crew with big glove-friendly buttons. It predicts when a tank will hit its limit, not just when it already has.

Supervisor dashboardConcept

Crew phone viewConcept

Robot valve operator: wrist and overview camera feeds tied to live flow, valve angle and setpointSimulated feeds from CAD

Product 2 · Robot Valve Operator

From remote control to real-time autonomy

A robot arm that works the same lever-handle ball valve every crew already uses. It reads the flow meter and the level sticks and holds the right flow, a few degrees at a time. It starts with a person driving it remotely, and every session teaches the AI that takes over in steps.

VR-200 test stand, CAD model (Rev A) in motion: the arm turns the valve 35° and back. Build planned for Q1 2027.

Teleop

A person drives the arm remotely. Every session is recorded.

AI suggests

The AI proposes each move; a person approves it.

AI drives

The AI holds the flow setpoint; a person watches and can take over.

Supervised field

The AI runs real valves on location; one remote person watches many.

Full autonomy

Flow and level data drive the valves 24/7; people handle alarms and maintenance.

Safety sits under the software, not in it. Hard-wired tank HIGH-HIGH and LOW-LOW interlocks and an E-stop override the AI and the operator at every level. If a sensor drops out, the arm holds where it is and alarms. It moves up a level only after it passes that level's test.

CAD detail: gripper fingers straddling the ball-valve lever grip, next to the inline flow meter — **Gripper on the lever**V-notch pads nudge the handle a few degrees at a time

CAD model of the 6-axis arm: black joint modules bolted flange to flange with orange aluminum links — **6-axis arm**Joint modules bolted flange to flange, machined 6061 links

CAD model of the parallel gripper with bolted finger plates and a wrist camera angled down at the fingertips — **Gripper and wrist camera**Camera angled down at the fingertips and lever

CAD model of the arm reaching over the pipe to the valve lever — **Working the valve**Reads flow and tank levels, holds the setpoint

Top-down CAD view of the test stand layout — **Stand layout**Everything on one 38 × 23 in plate

CAD model of the inline turbine flow meter — **Inline flow meter**1 in turbine, pulse or 4–20 mA out

The closed loop

The stick trips, the robot acts

When a tank hits HIGH, the Level Stick alerts the crew and the robot eases the fill valve closed. When the level comes back down, it reopens. People watch and can take over at any time, and the hard-wired interlocks sit under all of it.

Concept sequence rendered from our CAD models: VR-200 test stand and Level Stick display model.

Roadmap

Where we are

✓

Sep 2026

Design done

Rev A CAD, schematic, 66-page build and test instructions. Parts sourced.

Oct–Nov 2026

Prototype

Build and bench tests, then the full 8 ft stick in water and a live barrel demo with phone alerts.

Dec 2026

Field units

Three field-ready units, 7-day soak test, pilot partners lined up.

Q1 2027

Pilot

30-day pilot on real tanks. First paid rental. Valve test stand built.

2027

Fleet + AI

Rental fleet, teleop sessions, AI holding flow on the test stand.

2028

Autonomy

Supervised field trial, then autonomous valve control on location.

About

Founder-built, to flight-hardware standards

Roberto Vela III

Founder

Founder of Tankline Robotics and co-founder & CTO of Starport Space. Previously Integration Test Technician IV at SpaceX Starbase and Test Technician III at Stoke Space, across vehicle manufacturing, testing, launch operations, and recovery. GTAW-certified aerospace welder.

I'm building the tools I wanted on night shifts on the tank line, to the same standard I'd build flight hardware: documented, tested and inspected before they ever touch a location.

SpaceX Starbase · Integration testStoke Space · Manufacturing & testCertified aerospace welder

robertvelaiii.com · LinkedIn

Pilot program · Q1 2027

Put sticks on your tank line

We're lining up a small number of pilot sites for early 2027. Tell us about your jobs and we'll follow up.

30-day pilot on your frac tanks or seavans
We install, maintain and remove the units
Live dashboard and phone alerts for your crew
Rented per tank per day after the pilot, no hardware to buy

Every tank on the line.Watched 24/7.