Sewage Inspection Robot

Keegan Dillon • November 15, 2022

Sewage Inspecting Robot Spider In Japan

Japan is facing a sewage inspection worker shortage, so the Japanese company TMSUK has developed a sewage-inspecting robot. According to TMSUK, the company is trying to help ease the workload for existing pipeline workers in the field by creating this robot.

The SPD1 is a multi-legged prototype that crawls through sewage pipes, which a local pipe maintenance company first requested in Japan. TMSUK made this new workroid announcement of their spider-type robot on November 8, 2022. Workroids are one of their specialties at the company and can coexist with humans to do more practical tasks in industries facing labor shortages.

Key Sewage Inspection Robot Features:

• Multi-legged

• 360-Degree Navigation Camera

• Compact Frame (8.3”x9.8”x11”)

• LED Spotlights

• Grouped With Tether

• Lightweight (7.7 lbs.)

• Intuitive Controller

Sewage Pipe Deterioration

Sewage pipes have been rapidly decaying since the 1970s, so considering the state of these sewage pipes, the SPD1 was designed and prototyped. This decaying or corrosion will increase rapidly in the future, so it is essential to find a robotic solution quickly. In addition to the global labor shortages, there is this shortage at sewerage construction sites. This has led to long lead times with inspections and when repairs will be completed.

Sewage Robot Advantages

The SPD1 was designed to improve the efficiency of inspection work. It can make its way through different-sized diameter pipes. The operator can view a real-time video from a gamer-like remote control to drive the robot. This controller is attached to a long electrical tether that connects to the robot's rear.

The sewage robot has LED "spider eyes" that are spotlights to help see its surroundings. The robot also has sensors to help guide it through the pipes. Workers could use this single sewage robot specifically to perform inspections.

Another advantage is that TMSUK envisions a scenario where 3 of these robots could be tethered together. These linked robots could work in a group to perform their tasks. The lead robot would guide the team through the pipeline, while the middle bot would identify repair areas, and the third spider robot could perform those repairs with some robotic arm tooling.

TMSUK plans to release a production model once it can successfully demonstrate its abilities at a sewage pipe survey site. The company is expected to develop new robotic end-of-arm tooling so workers can change functions depending on the narrow pipe applications humans cannot reach.

If your company would like to have a demo of the SPD1 at your commercial sewage site, don't hesitate to get in touch with TMSUK here.

The SPD1 multi-legged walking robot video can be seen on YouTube below:

SPD1 | Multi-legged walking robot (English ver.) (tmsuk)

Source: TMSUK, via Robot Start.

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