Product Spotlight: Video Nozzle Adds Artificial Intelligence for Defect Coding

Product Spotlight: Video Nozzle Adds Artificial Intelligence for Defect Coding

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Pipeline cleaning and surveying can be time-consuming and labor intensive. But technological advancements are helping to streamline the process.

Sewer Robotics recently announced automatic defect coding powered by artificial intelligence, essentially taking the task out of the technician’s hands. The technology makes it easier and more efficient to clean and survey large amounts of pipe and to report defects, even without human eyes reviewing the video footage.

The new technology is offered on the C70 video nozzle, a jetting nozzle for pipe cleaning with an integrated forward lighting and battery-powered, self-leveling, high-definition camera to record while cleaning pipes. It is made of durable stainless steel and is compatible with any jetting truck by threading it onto the hose. The integrated pressure-switch activates the lighting and starts the recording when the pressure is on, so the technician focuses on operating the jetting truck and cleaning the pipe.

After the pipe has been cleaned, the video can be downloaded for an instant visualization of the pipe status to help the operator select the right cleaning approach. Once the AI is “trained” on pipe defects with a huge set of coded defects, it automatically looks for patterns in the new video that match the patterns it learned from the coded defects. The AI then outputs a list of defects for the cleaning video, along with the required screenshot and defect code. This means that rather than review the whole video, the AI can inform the technician specifically that there is a defect, and classify the pipe segment according to priority of the defect. Reported defects can include grease blockages, roots, displaced joints, surface damage, fissures, cracks, settled deposits and intruding connections.

According to Sewer Robotics, by using sensors and data analytics, the AI “can help identify issues with storm, water and sewer systems before they cause problems”. This means it can save organizations time and money by preventing damage to infrastructure and avoiding disruptions to service.

While the C70 video nozzle employing AI “will not entirely replace a detailed CCTV crawler inspection, it can quickly tell you if there are any defects in the pipe,” according to Sewer Robotics. Depending on the reported defect and its priority, the right measures could be immediately implemented based on the results of the video. 717-658-4532; www.sewerrobotics.com



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