Imagine a robotic snake that can slither through city water pipes to find leaks without digging up the street. Once it finds a hole, a small 'inchworm' robot moves in to patch the leak from the inside. It's like having a tiny, smart plumber that lives inside your pipes and fixes them 24/7.
Water utilities lose 20% of treated water due to leaks in aging pipes. Manual inspection is non-viable due to the complex nature of networks, and current tech lacks repair capabilities.
A robotic ecosystem comprising a long-distance snake robot, an 'inchworm' soft-repair robot, an ultrasonic corrosion detection module, and an AI-driven decision support system.
If you are a municipal water distribution company dealing with a 20% average loss of treated water—this project developed a snake-like resident robot and soft repair tools that reduce inspection and maintenance costs by performing targeted in-situ repairs.
If you are a pipeline maintenance contractor dealing with outdated distribution systems dating back 50 years—this project developed a high-accuracy inspection system using ultrasonic testing to detect corrosion and leaks without manual excavation.
If you are an environmental consultancy dealing with the 5% of global GHG emissions from the water sector—this project developed a robotic ecosystem that can save an estimated 158GWh of energy and reduce 79,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions over 5 years.
Based on available project data, the specific commercial price of the robotic tools is not provided; however, the project aims to reduce overall inspection and maintenance costs.
Yes, the system includes a snake-like resident robot designed to operate over long distances and navigate pipeline junctions to cover large parts of the water network.
Based on available project data, the IP and licensing terms are not specified, but the project is managed by a consortium of 15 partners including 12 industry players.
The system uses a Decision Support System powered by machine learning to help operators plan inspections and maintenance based on visualized data.
The project period runs from 2022-09-01 to 2026-08-31, with validation currently planned in real water network pipelines in the Netherlands.
The consortium is heavily industry-driven, with 12 out of 15 partners (80%) being industrial entities. This strong commercial bias, combined with partners from 4 countries (EL, FR, NL, UK), suggests the technology is being developed with direct market application and utility requirements in mind rather than pure academic research.
Contact TECH HIVE LABS ASTIKI MI KERDOSKOPIKI ETAIREIA in Greece
Contact us to connect with the TUBERS consortium for pilot opportunities.
