It is a fact that the gas and oil industries that are working deep-sea have huge and giant infrastructures that they need to maintain. According to stats, even the cost of maintaining such infrastructures is also very high.
In order to maintain the huge infrastructures, the industries have to install several types of equipment and layout pipelines spread across thousands of miles. On top of that, these pipelines are to be inspected on a regular basis and then repaired if there are any damages observed at any locations.
If the gas/oil industries do not do this, then huge catastrophe can be caused in the seas and can lead to the destruction of sea-life on a large scale.
On top of that, to carry out such huge and sensitive tasks, the companies have to hire workers that do their work under-seas. While it can turn out to be very expensive, it is also very dangerous for the divers due to equipment malfunction, under-sea explosions, and other safety-hazards.
There are now many companies that are trying to find a permanent solution to this problem once and for all. In order to do that, companies are creating prototypes and experimenting on cutting-edge underwater robots and drones.
The main purpose behind the creation of this automated machinery is to cut the costs of repairs, make the job risk-free, and make it less polluting to the environment.
One of the major breakthroughs in the robots created for repairing pipes is Eelume. It is a robot in the shape of a snake that is six-meters long, and it is equipped with cameras and sensors installed all over its body.
The Eelume robot can be installed at a docking station and can go down up to 500 meters deep inside the sea to carry out repairs. On top of that, the Eelume robot can stay under-sea and carry out the job without having to come out for almost six months. Once the six-month period approaches, then the Eelume has to be brought back to the surface for necessary repairs and servicing.
Furthermore, the Eelume robot is capable of traveling up to 20 KMs under the sea before it needs to return and recharge at the station. The Eelume robot has been developed to travel inside the sea through self-propellers.
The robot is also capable of swapping out body parts and tools to meet the nature of the repairs it needs to carry out. Some of the major tasks that the robot has been created to fulfill include removing the marine sediments and growth on the pipelines and operate subsea valves.
There are already many unmanned vehicles under-sea that carry repairs and other types of tasks for the industries. However, the process of going through the sites on a regular basis can cost up to $100,000 per day. This is why these robots can create a huge difference once they are launched into the seas.