EAUX de PARIS: Innovation Award
ROBOPLANET has been selected to address a strategic challenge: assessing the thickness of drinking water pipelines in the city of Paris while ensuring operator safety and minimizing intrusive work. With over 2,050 km of pipelines — most of which date back to the 19th century — the infrastructure requires innovative solutions to ensure its integrity while meeting urban and environmental constraints.
An innovative technology to preserve infrastructure
The solution developed by ROBOPLANET is based on a mobile carrier capable of navigating inside the pipelines to perform thickness measurements with high precision. This system significantly reduces the need for excavation work and minimizes the impact on public services, urban traffic and the environment.
Pipeline type
DN150 gray cast iron pipes — specifically adapted
Food-grade compliance
Designed to current standards for drinking water safety
Zero excavation
Internal navigation removes the need for street digging
Urban impact
Minimal disruption to traffic and public services
A strategic fit for urban infrastructure. Paris's drinking water network is one of the oldest and most complex in the world. Inspecting it traditionally would mean digging up streets for kilometers — something cities can no longer afford. ROBOPLANET's internal carrier solves this by inspecting from the inside out.
A prototype tested in real-world conditions
The project, with its final phase completed in June 2020, resulted in a prototype that was qualified through tests conducted both in simulated workshop conditions and on the actual network.
- Workshop qualification — controlled tests replicating pipeline conditions
- Real network validation — trials on live Paris infrastructure
- Reliability confirmed — system validated in representative environments
A commitment to public infrastructure
This technological advancement demonstrates ROBOPLANET's commitment to providing innovative solutions tailored to the complex challenges of public infrastructure — where every intervention must balance technical performance, user safety and minimal disruption to citizens.
2,050 km of 19th-century pipes, zero excavation — ROBOPLANET reinvents how Paris inspects its drinking water network.
An infrastructure inspection challenge?
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