Blockage-detecting robot ready to patrol sewers

A sewer robot that inspects pipework and raises blockage alerts before flooding occurs is to be deployed in a live network for the first time. 

Led by Northumbrian Water, Pipebot Patrol is a £1.8 million project, funded by the Ofwat Water Breakthrough Challenge. 

As the first autonomous sewer robot of its kind in the world, Pipebot Patrol is designed to navigate and inspect miles of pipeline continuously over a 30-day period, pinpointing the precise location of blockages as they are beginning to form.

The project partners include Spring Innovation, Environmental Monitoring Solutions, Gateshead Council, Jet Aire, Minicam Group, Newcastle City Council, Southern Water, Sunderland City Council, Thames Water and the University of Sheffield’s School of Mechanical, Aerospace & Civil Engineering, leading on robot development. 

Since the project launched in July 2024, the development team has designed, built and successfully tested the Pipebot in laboratory conditions. The next step is a sewer zone field trial, which will build understanding of how the robot operates under real conditions.

There are 40,000 incidents of sewer flooding each year in the UK, a high proportion of which are a consequence of blockages. Historically, mitigating actions taken by utilities have been reactive, prompted by alerts to rising water levels in the network. This approach means it is often too late for a crew to be dispatched to clear the blockage before flooding occurs. 

Pipebot Patrol enables proactive inspection and maintenance of networks through an array of advanced mobile sensors and real-time sewer data, captured as the robot moves through pipelines. 

The data is analysed and presented in a user-friendly dashboard, which flags up potential blockages early, giving utilities time to take action before the sewer backs up and overflows. 

As well as offering greater environmental protection, Pipebot Patrol aims to improve health and safety by minimising human exposure to sewers, deliver cost savings through fewer emergency callouts, support mapping of sewers for asset records and pave the way for future innovations in robotics. 

Clive Surman-Wells, innovation partnerships manager for Northumbrian Water, said: “Pipebot Patrol is a game-changer for sewer management, presenting three completely new concepts in flooding avoidance - the mobile sensor array, continual patrolling and near real-time alerts on impending blockages, including location data.

“After the fantastic progress already made, our team of technical specialists is approaching a key phase - deploying the Pipebot in a live sewer zone.  

“The learnings from the trials will help us move one step closer to being able to use robots at scale to reduce the risk of sewer flooding and prevent devastating harm to the environment and customer properties.  We will actively share all progress and learnings with the rest of the sector in England and Wales.”