Army of tiny robots could end the misery of roadworks
Government puts £26m into mini-machines that will repair broken pipes to avoid digging up streets
ROADWORKS could become a thing of the past, after the Government backed a project to develop tiny robots that will be sent down pipes to make repairs instead of digging up roads. Four universities in the UK are working together to develop a collection of “insect-like” robots to inspect and fix underground pipes.
The robots, around half an inch in size, will be able to navigate pipes used for water, gas and sewage. As well as identifying faults, clearing blockages and making repairs, they will allow utility companies to make a “Google Maps-style” plan of their pipe networks as the devices travel underground.
The Government has invested £26.6 million in the project, as it hopes the technology will put an end to the disruption caused by the 1.5 million road excavations that take place every year. These roadworks cost the country more than £5billion a year in traffic closures and lost business, according to the Government.
The scientists behind the project believe the robots will also be able to tap the pipes to analyse sound and vibrations to gauge the quality of pipe walls, so workmen will not have to examine the exterior of the pipes.
“It is like keyhole surgery for the ground, so instead of cutting up the whole road, send a small robot down a pipe and conduct repairs and inspections,” Prof Kirill Horoshenkov, at the University of Sheffield, told The Daily Telegraph.
The academic, who specialises in acoustics, explained that as they will be going through dark pipes, fitting the robots with cameras is not an option. Instead, they will utilise sound to investigate the pipes.
He claims the robots could also have applications in aerospace, nuclear reactors and medicine. The technology is expected to be in operation in five years’ time.
There will be two types of robot, said Prof Horoshenkov. “Inspection bots” will be agile enough to easily examine pipes quickly and autonomously. A slightly larger “worker bot” will have more energy and materials to carry out maintenance work. This robot would be more likely to be remotely controlled by humans on the surface.
The robots will be developed by researchers at universities in Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield. The project is one of 15 schemes to use robotics and artificial intelligence to overcome problems brought about by difficult or hazardous work conditions that together will receive £120million in Government funding.
Chris Skidmore, the science minister, said: “While for now we can only dream of a world without roadworks disrupting our lives, these pipe-repairing robots herald the start of technology that could make that dream a reality in the future.”