BW-P1 Water Pipeline Inspection Robot Successfully Concludes Hangzhou Demo
On 2026/5/12, our BW-P1 water supply pipeline inspection robot conducted a successful live demonstration test on the DN200 steel pipe section at Jinchang Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou. Executives and technical teams from Hangzhou City Investment Group and Hangzhou Water Affairs Group attended to observe the entire event. The Nanjing Shuiyuan Robot Technology team performed a full-process operational demonstration on-site, receiving high praise from the client for the equipment's comprehensive performance.
1. Overview of On-Site Test Conditions
This test pipeline is a DN1200 steel water supply pipe that has been in service for 8 years, with a total length of 2000 m and a burial depth of 2 m. The line includes 18 bends and 13 gate/butterfly valves, presenting complex operating conditions such as downward bends. During testing, the pipe section was isolated with no internal pressure or flow, simulating complex inspection scenarios for aging main distribution networks.
Primary objective of this demo: Validate the robot's ability to navigate large-diameter, multi-bend pipelines while simultaneously detecting defects such as wall corrosion, welds, branch misconnections, and debris. Compare internal pipe conditions before and after flushing.
II. On-Site Equipment Performance Testing
The full test lasted 2 hours. The robot successfully completed pipeline inspection for 140 meters, navigated through 4 complex bends, and all functions operated stably:
- Multi-degree-of-freedom flexible control:Supports forward/reverse, ascend/descend, lateral movement, and in-place turning for excellent maneuverability through pipe bends and valve obstructions.
- All-domain visual inspection:Equipped with dual high-definition front and rear cameras plus a high-sensitivity hydrophone, it streams real-time video and acoustic data from inside the pipeline, automatically saving defect photos and continuous recordings.
- Lightweight and easy to deploy:Compact and lightweight unit with simple deployment and retrieval. Zero failures in communication, sealing, and power systems. Responsive controls and uninterrupted data transmission.
3. Core Product Advantages
The BW-P1 water supply pipeline inspection robot features a lightweight, all-in-one design tailored for inspecting large municipal water mains. It effectively addresses key industry pain points of traditional methods: low efficiency and high risk from manual manhole entry and excavation, along with insufficient visual data.
- Easy deployment and retrieval reduce on-site construction costs.
- Long-endurance stable operation, designed for long-distance pipeline inspection.
- High flow capacity through complex bends and valve sections.
- Integrated high-definition imaging and acoustic leak detection for precise identification of pipe corrosion, leakage, and sedimentation risks.
IV. Summary
This on-site demonstration in Hangzhou fully validates BW-P1's field capabilities for legacy large-diameter water supply networks. Leveraging intelligent underwater inspection technology, it empowers water utilities to detect and address pipeline risks early, driving the upgrade of urban water network operations toward intelligence, safety, and efficiency.