Image: Minicam crawler
According to the UN data, 80% of the world’s wastewater is dumped – largely untreated – back into the environment, polluting the rivers, lakes, and oceans.
WD News: Halma has released its 2023 tech trends piece highlighting how its companies’ smart water technologies are extending the life of existing water networks, as well as detecting and preventing wastewater blockages to protect the environment.
Water is a critical resource globally and water quality remains a major issue in India, which ranks 120 out of 122 countries in the water quality index as per the 2019 NITI Aayog report. Approximately, 70 percent of its water is contaminated due to overpopulation, pollution, and groundwater exploitation.
“As the population grows and expands into our cities, we will see an increasing need for solutions that can strengthen our wastewater infrastructure. Water technologies have to keep pace with this growing demand to keep our waterways safe and prevent wastewater polluting the places where we live,” said Prasenjit Datta, Managing Director, Halma India. “Our companies Minicam Group and HWM have developed new digital solutions that can predict leaks, patrol pipes, and provide dynamic 24-hour insight into managing water infrastructure. While Minicam’s specialist robots can fix sewers, HWM’s sensors can detect leaks and alert when something goes wrong”, he further stated.
Robots Working in Sewers
Minicam’s robots can be placed into pipes and remote-controlled through the network to identify any damage or blockages which need clearing. They have rugged wheels for navigating slippery pipes, as well as cameras and headlights to beam footage back to an operator above ground so they can track the movement. Each robot has several tools that can be attached depending on the job’s need.
Similarly, HWM sensors provide data helping engineers tackle the network and treatment plant issues before overspills and pollutions occur.
Digital Twin and AI-Enabled Smart Sensors
Another technology that helps water companies predict potential events and prioritize decisions about where to invest in their network and infrastructure is the ‘digital twin.’ The leak detection, pressure, and sewer monitoring sensors can be keyed in digital twin models, enabling water companies to run computer simulations of extreme weather events and assess the potential impact on their system based on a wide range of data inputs from across their networks.
“AI is playing an increasingly important role in preventive maintenance and network management, taking the guesswork out of pipe maintenance and ensuring the money is spent on critical repairs. Minicam Group has partnered with VAPAR, a company offering AI-powered software, to provide faster and more accurate condition assessment of sewer networks in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK,” added Prasenjit.
Source & image courtesy: Halma India
