Yolları kazmadan su borularını tamir eden robotları: Pipebots

Mini robots detect and fix water pipe leaks without digging | Kurt Knutsson, Fox News Tiny smart robots will save billions in water maintenance costs Fixing underground water pipes usually means digging up roads and sidewalks — a process that's disruptive and expensive. However, researchers at the University of Sheffield in the U.K. are working on a different approach. They've developed small robots called "Pipebots" that can travel inside water pipes to find and potentially repair leaks, all without any excavation. Old leaky underground pipes are causing a crisis The U.K. has some of the oldest water systems in the world, with parts of the network still dating back to the Victorian era. Not surprisingly, many of these pipes are leaking, wasting about 790 million gallons of water every day. Fixing them usually means digging up streets, which causes major disruption and adds to the country's $5 billion a year maintenance costs. Little robots come to the rescue Pipebots are tiny, high-tech helpers designed to navigate the underground world of water pipes. Each one comes with acoustic sensors, cameras, and rugged wheels that help it move through tight, twisty spaces-while smart enough to steer clear of off-limits areas. They're dropped into the water system through hydrants and travel in groups, scanning the inside of pipes for even the smallest cracks. When they spot a problem, they send the details back to engineers above ground, making it easier to fix issues without digging anything up. The robots are part of a bigger innovation plan These robots are part of a larger effort to modernize how the U.K. manages its aging water infrastructure. The initiative isn't just a university research project-it's supported by the U.K.'s water regulator, OFWAT (the Water Services Regulation Authority), and involves several collaborative projects. One of these projects focuses on using Pipebots to inspect live, pressurized wastewater pipes, also known as raising mains. The goal is to catch problems early and make repairs before leaks cause pollution. Another project, called "no dig leak repair," is working on ways to fix leaks from inside the water mains themselves, completely avoiding the need for disruptive roadwork. There's also the EU-funded Pipeon Project, which is developing advanced, AI-powered robots that can inspect sewers autonomously, without human guidance. Read more: foxnews.com/tech/mini-robots…

Pipebots: cómo unos pequeños robots pueden revolucionar la forma en que se gestiona el agua | Por Nazareno Rosen infobae.com/america/mundo/20…

Pipebots: cómo unos pequeños robots pueden revolucionar la forma en que se gestiona el agua | Por Nazareno Rosen infobae.com/america/mundo/20…

Congratulations @sheffielduni @pipebots for making learning about how programming toy sized devices like these to solve real world issues. These swimming robots do remind me of my set of @intelino where this can record distance as well as "height" or "depth" travelled...

The new mini Pipebots are being developed and tested in the United Kingdom, mainly by researchers at the University of Sheffield and other UK universities. They’re designed to help address the massive water losses in the UK’s pipe networks, but the technology could eventually be used in other countries too.

New mini Pipebots can detect and fix underground water leaks without digging, saving billions of liters of water annually. bit.ly/4kW2Gfw

Роботы Pipebots размером с игрушечную машинку обследуют трубы изнутри, находят трещины и передают данные инженерам. Разрывать асфальт, чтобы найти протечку, с ними будет не нужно. hightech.fm/2025/06/20/tiny-…

Pipebots led by @sheffielduni aim to cut water loss by inspecting, detecting, and repairing leaks in ageing water infrastructure. #repairbots theengineer.co.uk/content/ne…

Pipebots researchers talk about their time working on #pipebots, what they learnt and what is next, check out the videos on youtube: @pipebots8599 pipebots.ac.uk/team/@SheffMe… @ShefACSE @CivilSheffield @LeedsUniEng @unibirmingham @BristolUni

All set up for the final #pipebots academic team meeting @SheffMechEng @CivilSheffield @LeedsUniEng @ShefACSE @BristolUniEng

The story of Pipebots a lovely summary of the past (almost) 6 years of #pipebots youtu.be/Q2loVe5_NcE?si=hrkX… @EPSRC @SheffMechEng @CivilSheffield @ShefACSE @BristolUniEng @LeedsUniEng @unibirmingham @SheffUniEng

Prof. Chris Rogers @unibirmingham was at nodiglive.co.uk/ this month and gave a seminar discussing the @pipebots project titled “Autonomous Robots for Pipeline Condition Assessment” #infrastructure

New technologies can spot pesky leaks in water pipelines economist.com/science-and-te… #pipebots @SheffMechEng @CivilSheffield @ShefACSE

Pipebots Newsletter Issue 20 - mailchi.mp/e520c027cc6b/pipe… @SheffMechEng @CivilSheffield @ShefACSE @LeedsRobotics @BristolUniEng @unibirmingham

I’m excited to share some great news: our paper has been selected as the winner of the Best Paper Award in Nondestructive Testing and Evaluation, Volume 38. tandfonline.com/journals/gnt… @BristolUniEng @Bristol_UNDT @sonic_bruce @pipebots @CivilSheffield

Day 3 at #InnovationFestival24 Come and see us at Stand 33 #pipebots @SheffMechEng @CivilSheffield @ShefACSE @LeedsRobotics

Come and see us at stand 33 at #InnovationFestival24 We are here all week chatting festival and sprint participants #pipebots @SheffMechEng @CivilSheffield @ShefACSE @LeedsRobotics

Pipebots Newsletter Issue 19 out now! mailchi.mp/4bb1cf1c3340/pipe… @SheffMechEng @CivilSheffield @ShefACSE @NBIF_UK @LeedsUniEng @BristolUniEng

Inspiration from the very Hungry Caterpillar! Professor Jonathan Rossiter talking about soft robotics at the @pipebots Centre of Excellence workshop @SheffMechEng @CivilSheffield @BristolUniEng