(ITA - 2004 - 1a Fase)IN THE PIPELINE1The sewer sy

(ITA - 2004 - 1a Fase)

IN THE PIPELINE

¹The sewer systems of Europe could soon provide a conduit for more than water and waste. A machine vision ⁴sewer inspection project has sparked ⁵interest in using the pipes to lay cables ⁶for telecommunications traffic. The project, named Inspecting Sewage Systems and Image Analysis by Computer, or Isaac, is part of a larger ¹⁰European Commission-backed initiative to promote use of vision technology.
Project coordinator Mark Sawyer explained that the inspection system employs a tractor-mounted CCD matrix ¹⁵camera and curved mirrors for imaging inside the pipes, and proprietary software to convert the data into a perspective that humans can interpret. It ¹⁹will enable rapid detection of defects in ²⁰pipe walls and could be in operation within 18 months.
“The prospect of using the sewers ²³for telecommunications is still evolving”, ²⁴he said. Commercial relationships ²⁵between cable companies and sewer landlords must be negotiated, and the technology to install cables has yet to be developed. “However,” he added, “an accurate survey of the sewer system ³⁰brings it closer.” It’s a concept that could ³¹well “go down the tubes”.

PHOTONICS SPECTRA March 2003 p. 176

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