clarity about the liquids in which the robot should operate and the shape of the pipes and vessels. On the basis of that information we, as builders of extremely robust robots, were able to assess the conditions we had to meet". ROLLING ROBOT "We ended up with a robot in a transparent, rolling ball. So not with wheels or magnetism, but a small inspection ball that offers a lot of flexibility. A ball of the right size always finds its way into pipe systems with all kinds of bends. Inside the ball is the robot, which moves the whole thing like a hamster in a wheel. The equipment itself is thus protected by the housing. The material of the ball depends on the type of pipe. We don't want any scratches that obscure the view of the cameras". ULTRASONIC Wires and cables attached to a rolling ball, that is impossible. But the circumstances and the requirements for wireless communication were tough. 20 A specialised research group at Ghent University was looking for a solution for three challenges: autonomy, inside of a liquid and in a metal tank or pipeline. Ferry: "They facilitated a test in a swimming pool, in which we discovered that the radio signal kept working up to a depth of half a metre. That depth was not enough, given the situation in the industry. After that, we continued the search ourselves, together with our own contacts, and found the solution. We combined the technology of submarines with robotics in sewers and went on to carry out tests with those. Eventually, we were able to send data via ultrasonic communication. This principle could also be used for the navigation and localisation of the ball. DASHBOARD Patrick de Boevere (Serenity): "I also worked on the software of the Cleaning robot. For the Inspection Ball, eighty percent of the requirements corresponded to those of the Cleaning robot when it came to
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