Intelligent Pipeline Inspection Robot Guards the Urban Lifeblood

In June 2024, an intelligent inspection robot shuttled through the complex drainage pipelines in Melbourne.

In this urban pipeline “health check” mission, the intelligent inspection robot developed by the Monash University team has delivered an outstanding performance:

1、36 consecutive hours of fault-free operation, setting a new industry record

2、Daily inspection mileage of 15 kilometers, with efficiency 8 times higher than traditional methods

3、98.7% defects identification accuracy, detecting 156 defects of various types

“What we have developed is not just equipment, but a ‘digital sentry’ guarding urban safety,” introduced Dr. Xupei Yao, the team leader. The robot system integrates cutting-edge technologies such as GPS positioning and quantum sensing. Its original “amphibious” design can adapt to complex working conditions with pipe diameters ranging from 0.3 to 1.5 meters, and it can still operate stably under full-pipe water flow conditions after heavy rains.

The intelligent diagnosis platform carried by this pipeline inspection system can automatically generate a “pipeline health report” including a 3D digital twin model, structural health score, and maintenance priority suggestions. It is reported that the Monash team is now working on the development of a new generation of  all space monitoring systems, which will realize “holographic perception” and “intelligent diagnosis and treatment” of urban underground pipelines in the future, building a more solid scientific and technological defense line for urban water safety in the new era.