Provided herein is a robot for inspecting pipelines as it moves along an outer surface of a pipeline, the robot comprising: a plurality of body parts detachably provided along a longitudinal direction of the pipeline; a connector configured to connect adjacent body parts, and to distance one of the connected body parts away from the pipeline so that the plurality of body parts may cross an obstacle; and a controller configured to control the connector to lift one of the body parts to cross an obstacle, with another body part secured to the pipeline.