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Robotic PipeDiver tool gets to places After being inserted into the pipe system, PipeDiver will
that workers can’t BY JEFF JEDRAS expand itself and begin the
inspection process. At the end
It may conjure up images of the project is about the develop- of the day, the device will be
The Matrix, but its creators ment of a practical, automated retrieved from another access
say an intelligent robotic and intelligent inspection system point, and the data downloaded
device being developed by a for the water transmission sys- and analyzed.
group of Canadian companies to tem. Currently it’s a process done “In the pipe we’re detecting, 058257
inspect water pipe systems has manually, by humans. quantifying and locating the
the potential to generate signifi- number of broken pre-
cant cost savings for water system stressing wire,” said Kong.
operators and help ensure safer “In simple terms, it will
water for Canadians. tell you which pipes are in
The PipeDiver project is good condition and which
being led by Mississauga, Ont.’s pipes are in bad condition.”
The Pressure Pipe Inspection The challenge, Kong said,
Company Ltd. (PPIC), which is integrating the sensing
has expertise in water pipeline technology with the intel-
assessment. It was formed to ligent system and robotic
commercialize sensing technol- technology.
ogy developed by Queen’s Uni- Once a prototype is
versity in Kingston, Ont., which complete it will be tested
is also a project partner. Other PipeDiver intelligently inspects water pipes. in the infrastructure of the
participants include Markham, Halifax Regional Water
Ont.-based Orvitek Inc., which “(Right now) we send the people Commission. Its chief engineer,
brings expertise in control system into the pipelines through an Jamie Hannam, said pipe inspec-
development; Toronto’s InvoDane access point and they collect the tion technology has made strong
Engineering Ltd. specializing in data manually,” said Kong. “The strides in recent years. Remote
mechanical systems; and C-Core idea with this project is to develop field eddy technology has given
of St. John’s, Nfld., with expertise an advanced intelligent system to visibility inside the pipe, but its
in intelligent system development. do the inspections without people use still requires shutting down
PipeDiver, scheduled for com- getting into the pipes.” the system and sending people
pletion in December 2007, will While the smallest-size pipe in with equipment. The goal of
be a motorized, self-contained people can inspect is 36 inches, PipeDiver is to automate that
intelligent system that can inspect Kong said PipeDiver can be process. 055517
sections of Prestressed Concrete inserted into pipes as small as 16 For Halifax, Hannam said it
Cylinder Pipe (PCCP), com- inches. As well, Kong said before will mean better information,
monly used to transport water in a human can inspect a pipe the obtained more cost-effectively, al-
Canada, that human inspectors system must be de-watered for lowing them to predict stress and
can’t enter. safety reasons. With PipeDiver, deterioration points and replace
Xiangjie Kong, the PipeDiver he said that expensive step is problem sections of pipe before
project manager with PPIC, said unnecessary. they fail. 050804
The mounting problem of e-waste
Disaster Recovery: It could happen to you
058702
Business-IT Innovation and IT
strategic planning
cent discount on a purchase of a increased the thickness of its the fragmented and complicated
new wireless device under terms copier glass from 3mm to 4mm a mobile e-mail market, but it is go-
of the settlement. few years ago, it’s less likely to re- ing to be tricky as it is now selling
sult in breakage, too. It still carries several options under the same
‘TIS THE SEASON risks though, in particular paper brand. Vodafone’s own offering,
NETGEAR SETTLES FOR PHOTOCOPIER jams: “I had to repair a machine based on Visto’s push e-mail
LAWSUIT TECHS with a photocopy of a man’s groin software, comes with a server and
Netgear Inc. has agreed to settle With the office party season jammed in it,” said technician Ste- management features very simi-
a class-action lawsuit accusing approaching, photocopier techni- ven Mannion. “The manager sug- lar to the Blackberry Enterprise
the company of inflating the data cians are bracing themselves for gested an office identity parade Server, which Vodafone also sells.
speeds of its Wi-Fi networking another spate of weight-related to see who Canon could charge To add to the fun, the company
devices in advertising materials. call-outs. According to research for the call out.” Canon also asked is also selling the mobile e-mail
Netgear, in a Nov. 23 filing with by Canon, requests for service its staff to report the strange service supported in the latest
the U.S. Securities and Exchange calls can rise by up to 25 per cent objects that they had found in versions of Microsoft Exchange
Commission (SEC), said it has at this time of year, thanks to the damaged equipment. and mobile flavors of Windows,
agreed to pay US$700,000 to set- seasonal abuse of its printers and which currently synchronizes mo-
tle a class-action lawsuit initiated copiers. This ranges from pho- VODAFONE bile e-mail at intervals, but will go
in June 2004. A second lawsuit, tocopying things they weren’t PUSHED AHEAD “push” in the new year. “Mobile
filed in February, was voluntarily designed to copy, to simply Vodafone has brought out its own e-mail really has changed the
dismissed in favor of the 2004 being stood on while hanging business-oriented “push” mobile landscape,” said John Lillistone,
lawsuit. Customers who pur- decorations. Yes, the tradition of e-mail service and is selling it head of enterprise data services
chased Netgear wireless devices replicating one’s rear end at the alongside similar services from at Vodafone UK, quoting studies
between January 1999 and last office party is alive and well, and Blackberry and Microsoft. The that say e-mail is essential to 95
month will be eligible for a 15 per technicians said that since Canon mobile giant is hoping to simplify per cent of IT professionals.
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