Pipebots: The tiny 'leak hunter' robots that can save billions of litres of water

The world of robotics is expanding with every passing day and now,robots will be used to keep a watch on pipe networks in England and Wales. According to the water industry economic regulator Ofwat, England and Wales lose around three billion litres of water due to water pipe leaks and the robots can be the solution to these problems. Scientists told BBC that the miniature robots will patrol the pipe network and produce constant updates about any potential leaks or damages.

"In [this region] alone, we look after more than 8,500km (5,282 miles) of pipe and only about half the leaks in those pipes are visible, which means it's complicated to pinpoint where [the rest] are," Colin Day from Essex and Suffolk Water told BBC when asked about measures against the leaks.

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Some companies are already using tethered robots to carry out the process but the Integrated Civil and Infrastructure Research Centre (ICAIR) at the University of Sheffield has come up with a new generation of robots. The Pipebots are equipped with small cameras and adaptable legs which allows it to cover more area and provide constant surveillance footage of the water pipes.

"Companies only respond reactively to faults at the moment, not proactively," Professor Kirill Horoshenkov, a member of the testing group, told BBC when asked about the robots. "We need to have the presence of robots so they can continuously collect data before the onset of faults."

"They move along the pipe, taking pictures and they have a microphone to listen to the pipe. They're designed to make decisions about whether the pipe is likely to develop a fault or not," he added.