‘Robust enough to stay in the pipes’

Tiny robots being developed in the United Kingdom are poised to reduce billions of liters of water waste that costs more than $5 billion to fix. 

That’s because the University of Sheffield’s Pipebots can enter the water carriers and identify faults, cracks, and other trouble spots before they become costly catastrophes that result in massive digging projects, according to a news release. 

Photo Credit: University of Sheffield

The latest update builds on research that made headlines in 2023. 

“Our research has demonstrated how effective the technology can be and partners from industry are helping us to make it relevant … test, advance and ultimately deploy it to help tackle a key challenge the water industry faces,” program director Professor Kirill Horoshenkov said in the statement. 

Water pipe repairs aren’t just a costly concern in England, where the school’s release reported that more than 217,000 miles of pipes date to the Victorian era. Aging infrastructure contributes to $6.4 billion in losses for United States utilities each year, as well. Stateside, about one in five gallons of treated drinking water leaks into the ground, according to Bluefield Research, a market analysis firm with American headquarters in Boston. 

Water scarcity impacts 2.7 billion people worldwide, driven by a rising population, expanded agriculture, and planet overheating, the World Wildlife Fund reported. 

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Earth’s warming, largely caused by burning fossil fuels for energy, is linked by NASA to increased risks for severe droughts. The WWF added that associated severe floods and glacier melt can impact potable water sources, too.

A video clip shared by Sheffield shows a couple of different Pipebot designs. They are all about the size of a toy car — some only 1.5 inches wide — equipped with cameras and other tech needed to identify and fix faults. 

The bots can be placed into the network at a hydrant or other entry point. They also communicate with each other and know not to enter pipes that lead to homes. The clip shows a rendering of a swarm of bots that look like tiny creatures with legs. They are shown in the animation finding and repairing small leaks.

“Small enough robots to go into the pipes, robust enough to stay in the pipes … clever enough to control themselves,” Horoshenkov said in the clip. 

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The project also includes experts from the U.K. universities of Birmingham, Bristol, and Leeds. 

The team is working on a European Union-funded project for artificial intelligence bots to patrol sewer lines. The small inspectors would live in the mains, providing constant vigilance. The goal is for the bots to be able to make repairs, eliminating the need for costly digging, according to the release. 

Tiny tech is being leveraged in other settings, too. In the Czech Republic, experts have developed tiny bots that can clear contaminants from rivers. A French company is working on larger contraptions that can clean polluted waterways. 

Almost anyone can contribute to water conservation with some simple hacks at home. Capturing rain in a barrel provides a great resource for your garden and flower beds while helping to prevent flooding in your community. An efficient dishwasher can save thousands of gallons of H20 and hundreds of dollars per year — simply by letting the machine do the work. 

Soon, there could be tiny helpers in underground pipes ensuring the water flow is sustainable. The U.K. researchers have funding and partners as they develop machines to tackle specific work orders.

“The Pipebots we have developed could revolutionize how we maintain our water infrastructure,” Horoshenkov said in the release.

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