Sewer Robotics
Canvas Category Machinery : Industrial Robot : Construction
It all started about 14 years ago in the Netherlands, when two highly experienced pipe cleaning operators were thinking how to better and faster remove massive root blockages. They had the great idea of equipping an existing tractor with an improvised 500 bar (7,250 psi) high-pressure jetting nozzle. Its performance was so impressive that the high-pressure water jet cutter had to be born! In 2006, ID-TEC (now Sewer Robotics) was founded. We introduced the first modular sewer rehabilitation robot designed for various jobs in the sewer rehabilitation industry: a multi-functional crawler (robot) with interchangeable modules (tools) for CCTV camera inspection, water jet obstructions removal, mechanical cutting, liner preparation, lateral reinstatement and spot repairs.
Assembly Line
Robots vs. Fatbergs: High-Tech Approaches to America’s Sewer Problem
The arsenal includes flying drones, crawling robots and remote-controlled swimming machines. They are armed with cameras, sonar, lasers and other sensors, and in some cases with tools to remove obstructions, using water-jet cutters capable of slicing through concrete, tree roots, and the giant agglomerations of grease and personal-hygiene products known as fatbergs. Some can also fix leaking pipes using plastics that cure via ultraviolet light.
The tools also include artificial-intelligence systems for automating the labor-intensive process of cataloging defects in sewer pipes and storm water culverts, and for giving priority to repairs based on need and location.