End to roadworks

The universities of Sheffield, Birmingham, Leeds and Bristol have received a government grant of £26.6 million to develop micro-robots (pictured) which will run through underground pipes to find and mend cracks.

“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,” says science minister Chris Skidmore, “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.”

The robots will be about one centimetre long and capable of flying, swimming and crawling through pipes used for water, gas and sewage.

Sensors in the micro-robots will be able to assess the pipes using sound and vibration to analyse their condition.

The funding comes from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.

The project comes under UKRI (UK Research and Innovation).

Roadworks are estimated to cost £5 billion a year in disruption to businesses.