UK to invest in micro-robots to reduce roadworks
The UK will invest millions in micro-robots to be deployed in underground pipe networks, which the government said will reduce need for roadworks.
Science minister Chris Skidmore said on Monday there would be an investment totalling £26.6m in 15 projects.
The aim for the investment is to end disruptive and expensive roadworks by having the robots carry out the work without the need to dig up the roads.
Airborne and underwater robots could also inspect and maintain difficult-to-reach locations such as offshore windfarms or oil and gas pressure vessels.
The robots will also allow utility companies to make a 'Google Maps-style' plan of their pipe networks as the devices travel underground.
The robots will come in two different types, an inspection bot and a worker bot and will be developed by researchers at universities in Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds and Sheffield.
Roadworks projects will cost around £5m a year. And the remaining £19.4m will fund research into the use of robotics in hazardous environments.
Skidmore said: “While for now we can only dream of a world without roadworks disrupting our lives, these pipe-repairing robots herald the start of technology that could make that dream a reality in the future.
“From deploying robots in our pipe network, so cutting down traffic delays, to using robots in workplaces to keep people safer, this new technology could change the world we live in for the better. Experts in our top UK universities across the country are well equipped to develop this innovative new technology.”