If you think your job sucks, be thankful you're not that home-made sewer inspection robot.
Before anyone gets upset: Yes, we know something [Stargate System] No robot was built here at all; It's more of a remote controlled vehicle. However, that doesn't change the fact that this is a very cool build, especially since it has to function in one of the most inhospitable and unpleasant environments possible. The backstory of this project is that the sewer of a 50-year-old home kept backing up and efforts to clear it only temporarily solved the problem. The cast-iron side pipe was redesigned at some point in its history, giving it a 120-degree bend that left a blind spot for a sewer inspection company's camera. What was worse, the bend was near a junction where a pipe that once gave gutters and foundations access to the sewer ran.
To better visualize the problem, [Stargate] used his experience building bots to develop something for this job. The bot had to fit into the pipe and be short enough to make the turn, plus it had to be, er, waterproof. It also had to carry a camera and a light and be powered and controlled from the other end of the line. Most of the bot's body, including the hull and propulsion equipment, was 3D printed from ABS, so the seams could later be sealed with acetone. The drive chains were only added after the original wheels did not perform well in testing. The geared motors and camera were controlled by a Raspberry Pi Zero, which was mainly chosen for reasons of space. An Ethernet shield provided connectivity to the surface via a Cat5 cable, and a home-built PoE system provided power.
As interesting as the construction details were, the real treat is the borehole recordings. It's not too graphic, but the blockage is pretty gnarly. We also really appreciated the practical chain flail [Stargate] whipped up to break up the big chunks of crap and get the pipe back into shape. He's also done a bit of robo-spelunking, just like you.
And no, this isn't the only channel bot we've ever featured.
Read on “DIY Pipe Inspector goes where no bot has gone before”
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