Robot design for high flow liquid pipe networks

In-pipe robots are important for inspection of pipe network that form vital infrastructure of modern society. Nevertheless, most in-pipe robots developed so far are targeted at working inside gas pipes and not suitable for liquid pipes. This paper presents a new approach for designing in-pipe robot to work inside a liquid environment in the presence of high drag forces. Three major subsystems - propulsion, braking, and turning - are described in detail with new concepts and mechanisms that differ from conventional in-pipe robots. Prototypes of each subsystem are designed, built and tested for validation. Resulting is a robot design that navigates efficiently inside liquid pipe network and can be used for practical inspection purposes.