Fri, 26 August, 2022
In an expansion of its research and development (R&D) portfolio, TWI Hellas will be starting two new Horizon Europe in September 2022, both of which will be working towards addressing timely issues concerning European regional development. Subsequently, two project consortia have been put together, comprising established and esteemed partners with expertise in their respective fields, in order to research and produce technology solutions. So, let’s talk a bit more about ‘TUBERS’ and ‘Grinner’, the latest European initiatives TWI Hellas is proud to be part of.
TUBERS is a 48-month long project that aims to improve the operational efficiency of the European water network’s distribution by developing scalable and modular robotic tools for pipeline inspection and repair. The multinational consortium behind the project, together with TWI Hellas representing TWI, consists of Dutch companies Demcon Advanced Mechatronics, Brabant Water, Evides and Vitens, French company Alsymex, Bendabl of Greece and the Essex Innovation Centre (a partnership between the University of Essex and TWI). To further break it down, the tools to be developed in TUBERS will enable 24/7 inspection of water network distribution and simultaneous in situ pipeline repair, and they will also be tested in the water network’s existing pipelines by three Dutch water utility companies in the consortium. The aim of the project is to significantly address, and improve on, the currently time-consuming, non-sustainable and costly characteristics of water pipeline inspection and maintenance.
The Grinner project, over its 36-month duration, will focus on improving waste management through an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered detection system of batteries, utilising data from X-ray detectors and pick-and-place robots. The above technological development intends to upgrade waste from the electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management chain, to prevent fire incidents arising from wrongfully discarded batteries in household waste or recycling bins. If these incidents decrease, the negative ecological impact and financial damage will also diminish. Behind Grinner sits a group of partners from Poland; Lynq, Belgium; WEEE Forum, Sweden; Direct Conversion, Romania; GreenWeee International, Italy; Erion and the UK; Essex Innovation Centre.
Together with its project partners, TWI Hellas is delighted to be creating opportunities to face and deal with some of the problems that plague industry and, by extension, society today. By addressing waste management and water distribution issues, the goal is to build sustainable working environments, enabled by the latest technological advancements.