Tiny robots are going to repair underground pipes in the UK. The robots will 'crawl' through pipes and can autonomously carry out repairs, reducing the need to move earthworks and open roads. This reduces the impact of such work on UK road users.
The project will receive a grant of £8.9 million, or about €9.9 million, from the UK Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy. The UK, like the Netherlands, has a busy road network, which means roadworks cause a lot of inconvenience. Every year, 1.5 million road works are carried out in the country. The road closures required for this purpose are estimated to cause UK businesses a loss of over GBP 5 billion a year, or over EUR 5.5 billion.
Reducing damage
The deployment of micro-robots should start to significantly reduce this damage. The robots are about an inch long and are equipped with a navigation system that allows them to find their way around underground pipes. Using sensors, the robots look for cracks in pipes so that they can be repaired before the cracks actually cause problems. The robots can carry out these repairs autonomously without human intervention.
"While we can currently only dream of a world without roadworks disrupting our lives, these pipe-repairing robots mark the start of technology that could make this dream a reality in the future," said Chris Skidmore, the UK minister for business, energy and industrial strategy. "From deploying robots in our pipe network to reduce traffic congestion to deploying robots in the workplace to improve safety for people, this technology has the potential to improve the world we live in. Experts in top universities across the country are well equipped to develop this innovative new technology."
Leading the way with new technologies
The ministry's investment is part of the UK's 'Industrial Strategy', a strategy aimed at investing in technologies of the future and creating highly skilled jobs. By being at the forefront of new technologies, the UK aims to be able to take advantage of opportunities these technologies present.
The projects now being invested in are being overseen by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), a government department that aims to create an environment in which research and innovation can thrive. To this end, the service works with universities, research institutes, industry, non-profit organisations and government departments.
Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund
In addition to micro robots for underground pipes, the ministry is also investing in a range of other projects around micro robots. A total of £19.6 million, or around €21.7 million, is being invested in 14 other projects aimed at deploying robots in hazardous locations. These include offshore wind farms and nuclear facilities. The projects are supported through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF). This is a four-year competition aimed at developing robots that can take over work in hazardous environments from humans and reach places inaccessible to humans. Within the competition, work is underway on:
- robotics solutions that create a safer working environment in sectors such as offshore energy, nuclear, aerospace and mining;
- solutions that help increase productivity;
- solutions that allow new cross-disciplinary opportunities to be exploited.
Author: Wouter Hoeffnagel
Source: Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy
Source: UK Research and Innovation
Source photo: Pixabay / EsbenS
