Human workers have had to wear heavy suits and respirators to inject the chemical, all the while maneuvering in a crowded work area. The shuttle is raised on platforms. Cords, cables, and hoses hang from above and cross the floor. Some internal doors to the facility are only 1.1 meters wide, and some spaces beneath the shuttle are no more than 2.5 meters long and 1.75 meters high. Tessellator can maneuver in these spaces and also raise its inspection and injection equipment up to heights of 4 meters to reach individual tiles.
Omnidirectional wheels move the robot smoothly in any direction and over cable covers on the floor.
Because there are so many tiles, Tessellator divides, or tessellates, its work area among uniform work spaces, inspecting tiles in each area with as little overlap between work spaces as possible. To isolate electrical components from the chemical, which is flammable as well as toxic, Tessellator's electrical compartments are sealed in aluminum enclosures and purged with nitrogen. Special heat pipes cool the electrical compartments and the injection tool plate without circulating chemical-laden air through the electronic parts. Tessellator's chassis and actuators are stiff. The robot's manipulator arm is counterweighted and preloaded to keep the inspection and injection tools steady.