Amount awarded: £1,615,325
Led by: Northumbrian Water
Partners: Environmental Monitoring Solutions Ltd, Gateshead Council, Jet Aire, Minicam Group, Newcastle City Council, Southern Water, Sunderland City Council, Thames Water, University of Sheffield
Pipebot Patrol will develop an autonomous sewer robot that lives in the sewer, constantly inspecting and raising alerts to the precise location of blockages, as they are beginning to form. This proactive approach allows maintenance teams enough time to react before sewer flooding occurs, keeping sewage where it belongs.
“This funding allows us to progress robotic solutions to monitor sewers and minimise the possibility of sewer flooding to customer properties and environmental impact. Combining robotics, autonomy and acoustics with smart-sewer networks, we’re developing new tools for water companies to meet our performance commitments to reduce sewer flooding.” – Richard Warneford, Wastewater Director, Northumbrian Water Group
