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Severn Trent Testing Leak-Finding Robot!

We’re incredibly spoiled with the technology that we have at our disposal these days and it’s certainly interesting to hear about innovations that companies are coming up with in order to help them do their work more efficiently – and hopefully at reduced cost to consumers!

And it seems that Severn Trent is taking some serious steps in this regard, working alongside US-based company WatchTower Robotics to make use of a robot (called Lighthouse) to help them identify leaks in their pipe networks, Waste & Wastewater Treatment reports.

Apparently, the robot resembles a shuttlecock and is so flexible that it’s capable of filling pipes and travelling along with the flow of the water, feeding back data on its position and any leaks it finds along the way. This data can be retrieved wirelessly and a map of leaks can be created, with Lighthouse eventually either flushed out of a hydrant or pulled out with a net.

And so successful has it been in its endeavours that it was recently named a national winner of the James Dyson Award, no doubt a serious feather in the cap of creator Dr You Wu from MIT.

“We’re working closely with him on a number of initiatives, including looking at a UK-specific model, and seeing whether we can partner with other, overseas, water companies in a much-extended trial.

“Our initial aim is to get a dozen or so trial robots that we can hand out to our engineers in real world situations to see how they perform. It’s incredibly exciting and could be a real game-changer when it comes to tackling leakage,” Severn Trent deputy chief engineer Bob Stear commented.

Exciting certainly is a good word to use, especially when you consider that late last year we heard how some water suppliers were using age-old techniques like water divining rods to help them discover leaks in their networks.

Since it might be some time before Lighthouse starts really making waves where water leak detection is concerned, why don’t you give us a call here at H2O Building Services to see if we can help you find out if you’ve got any leaks on site that could be pushing your water bills up?

Don’t forget that it can be incredibly difficult to spot these leaks because they’re either so tiny that they’re barely noticeable or because they’re hidden away deep underground, only becoming identifiable through a huge spike in your bill (because of the amount being wasted) or when you start to see water damage appearing on your premises.

We can help you find leaks before they become serious problems. If you leave your leaks, you could find yourself facing a huge bill for water damage – and no one wants that. So get in touch with our friendly team of water leak detection experts and we’ll be able to help ensure you’re not wasting any water unnecessarily and paying for the privilege.