Robots in the Networks: Moscow Deploys Smart Pipe Diagnostics
In September 2025, Mosvodokanal achieved a major breakthrough in digitizing urban utilities by introducing a new tele-inspection system for diagnosing main sewer collectors and water supply pipelines. The solution reshapes how Moscow monitors and maintains its underground infrastructure, signaling potential transformation for the entire utilities sector across Russia.
A New Era of Diagnostics
The tele-inspection complex is designed to survey hard-to-access communications with diameters from 0.5 to 4.9 meters, and potentially up to 6 meters. The robotic module can cover sections up to one kilometer long at a speed of 30 meters per minute—double the capacity of previous systems.
The key innovation is a circular acoustic sonar that performs a full sweep in under one second. This technology makes it possible not only to assess the internal condition of pipes but also to determine the precise volume of sediment beneath wastewater. The resulting data generates detailed charts that help prioritize and plan cleaning operations across the network.
Context of Digital Transformation
The system is a logical continuation of Mosvodokanal’s long-term digitalization program. For more than 20 years, the company’s technical diagnostics center has operated various robotic systems: wheeled, floating, and push-through modules. Today, its automated supervisory control system covers over 630 technological sites and integrates more than 270 subsystems.
Moscow is not alone in pursuing smart infrastructure. In Saint Petersburg, similar diagnostic methods are increasingly integral to utility management. The city actively uses acoustic sensors and robotic systems, which helped prevent 370 leaks in just one year.
Industry Prospects
Mosvodokanal’s development opens up significant opportunities for scaling. The technology could be adapted for other major Russian cities with complex engineering networks. As practice shows, introducing such systems not only increases the reliability of utility infrastructure but also reduces operating costs.
Regional projects have already confirmed the efficiency of predictive utility technologies. In 2019, Tatarstan launched Russia’s first robotic heat-network diagnostics project using technologies from the oil and gas sector. In Izhevsk, smart systems now identify up to 70% of defects at an early stage, without tearing up asphalt.
For Moscow residents, the new system reduces the risk of accidents in water and sewer networks, increases service reliability, minimizes disruptions from repair work, and supports more balanced tariffs by lowering maintenance costs.
At the national level, the project highlights Russia’s progress in developing import-substitution technologies for utilities and shows how Moscow’s experience could be replicated across the country.
Looking Ahead
In the coming years, tele-inspection technologies are expected to become more widely used in Russia’s utility sector. Mosvodokanal’s innovation could lay the groundwork for a unified digital monitoring system for large cities’ engineering networks.
Future development will likely include versions for smaller-diameter pipes and difficult-to-reach areas, as well as integration with automated defect-repair systems.
The deployment of modern diagnostic complexes aligns with the global trend toward digitalizing utilities. It sets the stage for a new level of consumer service while optimizing network maintenance costs. Ultimately, Mosvodokanal’s new system is a technological breakthrough that strengthens Russia’s utility infrastructure and improves urban quality of life.
