Pipeon

The PIPEON project is developing AI-driven robotic solutions to optimise sewer inspection and maintenance. Currently, sewer networks suffer from outdated monitoring, frequent blockages, and costly reactive maintenance, leading to wastewater spills and infrastructure failures. PIPEON’s autonomous robots navigate harsh sewer environments, detecting defects, removing blockages, and installing sensors in inaccessible areas.

The Challenges

• Limited Sewer Network Visibility – Many sewers remain unmapped, leading to undetected defects, unexpected failures, and costly emergency repairs.
• Inefficient & Outdated Inspections – Current manual CCTV analysis is time-consuming, costly, and prone to human error, delaying maintenance actions.
• Harsh & Hazardous Environments – Corrosive, abrasive, and gas-filled sewer conditions make human access and traditional robots ineffective.
• Frequent Blockages & Pollution Risks – Clogs from fats, textiles, and debris cause sewage overflows, threatening ecosystems and public health.
• Reactive vs. Predictive Maintenance – Sewer failures are only addressed after they occur, increasing repair costs, infrastructure degradation, and environmental impact.

Objectives

• Develop AI-driven robots capable of navigating, inspecting, and maintaining sewers in corrosive, abrasive, and hazardous environments.
• Enhance predictive maintenance by enabling real-time defect detection, risk assessment, and proactive repairs to prevent failures.
• Improve sewer network mapping and monitoring through advanced sensors and AI-powered data fusion, providing real-time insights for utilities.
• Reduce sewage spills and environmental impact by automating clog removal and leak detection, cutting wastewater overflows by 30%.
• Increase cost-efficiency and sustainability by cutting inspection costs by 10x with robotic automation, smart decision-making, and digital twin technology.

Partners

• Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech)
• NTNU – Norwegian University of Science and Technology
• University of Sheffield
• UNEXMIN
• Herobots
• Bærum Kommune
• Heusden Municipality
• Bay Zoltán Nonprofit Ltd
• Headlight AI
• Water Europe
• Universita degli studi di Milano
• Hitra kommune

More information

Funder: Horizon Europe (grant Agreement: 101189847)

Funded value: 7,997,691 €

Start date: 1^st January 2025

End date: 31^st December 2028

Website: https://pipeon.eu/

Watch the video: The Tiny Robot Designed to Solve a Massive Underground Crisis