Multi-purpose robot for rehabilitation of small diameter water pipes
Julien Feiguel, Mouhamed NDiaye, Pascal Chambaud, Adrien Chambellan,, Pierre Blanc, Steve Bourgeois, Lucas Labarussiat, Clemence Dubois, Audrey, Vigneron, Thomas Desrez, Alain Riwan, Caroline Vienne

TL;DR
This paper presents a modular robot designed for rehabilitating small-diameter water pipes, capable of detecting, locating, and reestablishing branch connections after lining, with a prototype validated in laboratory conditions.
Contribution
The paper introduces a novel modular robot system for small water pipe rehabilitation, including perception and machining capabilities, with a validated prototype for the first time.
Findings
Robot successfully detects and characterizes branch connections.
Prototype operates within 8-meter pipe sections in laboratory.
System demonstrates potential for in-situ pipe rehabilitation.
Abstract
Rehabilitating cast iron pipes through lining offers several advantages, including increased durability, reduced water leaks, and minimal disruption.This approach presents a cost effective and environmentally friendly solution by sealing cracks and joints, extending the pipeline's lifespan, and reducing water wastage, all while avoiding the need for trench excavation. However, due to the relining process, branch connections are sealed and need to be reestablished. To address the issue of rehabilitating small-diameter water pipes, we have designed a modular robot capable of traversing and working within 200 meter long, 100 mm diameter cast iron pipes. This robot is equipped with perception functions to detect, locate, and characterize the branch connections in cast iron pipes and relocate them after lining, as well as machining functions. A first prototype of this system has been…
Peer Reviews
No public reviews on file for this paper yet. If you reviewed it on a platform where reviews are public (OpenReview, ICLR, NeurIPS, ICML), you can paste yours below so the community can read it here.
Videos
No videos yet. Explain this paper in a talk, walkthrough, or lecture? Add one.
Taxonomy
TopicsSoft Robotics and Applications · Robotic Path Planning Algorithms · Power Line Inspection Robots
