Vine Robot for Water Infrastructure

Aging water and wastewater infrastructure in the U.S. leads to significant water loss, high repair costs, and catastrophic failures. Utilities struggle with balancing affordability and necessary upkeep, resulting in deferred maintenance and minimal monitoring. This project used a low-cost, compliant “vine robot” capable of navigating complex pipe networks to enable targeted maintenance of water utilities. This robotic system minimizes inspection costs, allows utilities to make informed, data-driven decisions, and helps regulators enforce stricter infrastructure standards without imposing high economic burdens. The team’s goal was to address key deployment and technical barriers through need-finding, customer discovery, and pilot studies within the water industry.