TECHNICAL FEATURES
5. Access
Manned entry is just not feasible in some wastewater inspection scenarios due to access requirements or to the need to temporarily bypass flows, which could be cost prohibitive or simply impossible (as in large diameter or trunk sewers). Robotic solutions also can’t enter some sewer inspection systems due to size limitations.
But the Elios can access sections of sewer systems through manholes and other small entry points, allowing inspectors to collect stable, high quality visual data regardless of access issues. The Elios 3 can enter spaces as small as 50x50 cm with ease.
6. Extended range
The RVI techniques we mentioned above, like floating a CCTV or other type of camera from one manhole to another, can present range limitations, which can limit their usefulness in certain inspection scenarios.
Flyability’s Range Extender allows its indoor drones to fly farther from the pilot in order to perform inspections with greater efficiency. This can be vital when flying inside prolonged tunnels or areas inside wastewater assets where signal can be poor or obstructed.
The Elios 3 can fly in associated wastewater systems such as culverts or large drainage tunnels alongside sewers
7. Stability—Even in high flows
Drones like the Elios are not only small and easy to deploy for wastewater inspections, but they’re also very stable in flight.
The Elios has been used in a wastewater system where the water was roaring through at an average velocity of 26 feet per second—a speed so fast that the power of the water generated airflow in the space between the water and the pipe that
26 | March 2025 |
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created turbulence for flying. Despite the high rate of flow the Elios remained stable in flight, capturing images and video for inspectors that were so clear they were able to completely eliminate the need for an inspector to enter the sewer.
8. Reduction of emergency response time
Drones can help significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to identify the cause of a problem during a sewer emergency. This is because drones can be deployed quickly and easily, requiring fewer pre-deployment safety checks than traditional inspection methods. This means that in the case of a leak or tunnel collapse, the drone can be sent into the wastewater system for an inspection as soon as the pilot is on- site, providing immediate situational awareness and helping responders plan the next steps as well as determine if it is safe for people to enter the space.
For example, in Barcelona inspectors were faced with an urgent problem when a wastewater interceptor that served five different municipalities broke suddenly during a severe storm.
Every moment counted in this emergency, since the damaged pipe was leaking raw sewage into the sea at a rate of 500 cubic meters per second. Although the broken pipe was ten feet in diameter, there was no way for inspectors to enter it because sewage was pouring out at such a rapid rate.
Inspectors were able to fly an Elios drone into the pipe through intact manholes, both upstream and downstream of the visible break, and quickly survey the entire area to identify the exact location of the break and extent of the damage.
Using this information, experts on the scene were able to ensure that the bypass was connected at the correct place to quickly stop the flow of waste into the sea and to avoid the risk of a future break.
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