Japanese develop robots for sewer pipe inspection

Watch the video: Robot from Japan can check sewers.

Robots like this one could inspect Japan’s sewage pipes in the not too distant future. The spider-like thing is called SPD1 and was developed by Japanese robotics startup Tmsuk. Robots on wheels are currently being used for this task, but they cannot get everywhere. And that’s where SPD1 comes in: Yuji Kawakubo, CEO Tmsuk: “The lifespan of sewer pipes is 50 years and there are currently many that are nearing the end of that lifespan. There is a shortage of manpower to inspect these pipes, and the numbers aren’t inspected pipes is increasing. We heard that it is difficult to solve such problems with the current technology and that is why our new robot was developed.” The SPD1 robot weighs around 3.5 kilograms and is therefore significantly lighter than most conventional robots. It features a 360-degree camera system and eight legs that allow it to move around sediment and other obstacles. At the moment he can only examine the sewage pipes. Soon he should also be able to carry out simple repairs.

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