LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A giant six-foot long robot swam through one of Louisville's main water pipes Thursday morning.
Crews placed the free-swimming robot called PipeDiver inside a five-foot water main that runs from Prospect all the way down to Middletown.
The robot was sanitized before being placed inside a metal casing and then run through the main, officials said. The flow of water helped propel the robot forward along its 11-mile journey.
PipeDiver evaluated one of Louisville Water's pure tap pipes, which are responsible for delivering safer drinking water to nearly a million residents here in the Metro.
The company's Vice President of Communications, Kelley Dearing Smith, says this innovative technology has been significant in making sure residents continue to receive clean water.
"Using robotic technology like this is a gamechanger for the industry," Smith said. "Until 20 years ago, we had to wait until the pipe broke to know if there was a problem."
According to a press release, Louisville Water teamed up with Pure Technologies back in 2010 to deploy robots like PipeDiver for such inspections.
Over 4,200 miles of water main pipes deliver drinking water to households in Louisville.
And don't worry, officials say your pipes weren't interrupted while the robot was conducting the maintenance check, nor should your water taste any different.
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