Central Coast Council completes first remote sewer inspection

Central Coast Council has successfully completed a remote sewer inspection using a remote-controlled vehicle.

Designed and developed by KBR and Emesent to improve the safety, efficiency and accuracy of sewer inspections, the custom-built, remote-controlled vehicle (ROV) is fitted with an Emesent Hovermap ST-X Mobile Laser Scanner (LiDAR) and HD 360° CCTV technology.

On its first official mission, it successfully scanned over 640 m of sewer pipe between Terrigal and North Avoca — which the council says is the longest stretch a vehicle of this type has ever completed.

“We engaged KBR to perform a number of sewer and tunnel condition assessments in the region,” said Central Coast Council Director Water and Sewer, Jamie Loader. “However, given the size, age and unknown condition of the Terrigal tunnel we wanted to see if there was a way to inspect it without sending anyone down as a safety precaution.

“We’re proud to be the first local government in Australia to deploy this kind of innovative technology for sewer inspections. The results have shown us that there is a safer, more efficient and cost-effective way for us to maintain our infrastructure for the benefit of the community.”

“The successful remote data capture of a pipe this diameter and over this distance marks a pivotal moment in the digitisation of sewer maintenance, as it eliminates the need for unnecessary manual inspections in confined and potentially dangerous spaces,” said Hayden Robinson, National Digital Engineering Technology Manager, KBR. “Compared to traditional CCTV footage, the combined 3D point cloud and high-definition 360° CCTV provides us with a digital replica — or digital twin — of the asset, providing more comprehensive and accurate data than has been previously able to obtain. In addition, georeferencing and coordinating the data means we can precisely locate any areas along the length of the pipe that need to be repaired.”

The Emesent Hovermap ST-X scanner provides a high-definition point cloud model and associated imaging for a virtual assessment of sewer pipe condition, helping to detect cracks, blockages, and structural wear. The data is uploaded to a cloud-based application, transforming the data into high-fidelity 3D meshes used to create a digital replica of the sewer. This workflow brings the site to the office and allows a maintenance team to inspect the internals of the sewer pipe remotely. As a snapshot in time process, it can be repeated in future to identify and monitor changes over time.

Emesent was founded in 2018 after a decade of research at the Robotics and Autonomous Systems arm of the CSIRO. Emesent’s SLAM-based LiDAR scanner Hovermap is a mobile mapping solution able to be deployed via drone, robot, and vehicle, carried via backpack or used handheld.