Smart, cheap ‘Joey’ robot could soon help clear blockages in critical pipes underground

Beneath our streets lies a maze of pipes, conduits for water, sewage, and gas. Regular inspection of these pipes for leaks or repair normally requires them to be dug up. The latter is not only onerous and expensive—with an estimated annual cost of 5.5 billion pounds in the UK alone—but causes disruption to traffic as well as a nuisance to people living nearby, not to mention damage to the environment.