The iPIM is a robotic mechanism that is being developed out of a sophisticated prototype of an In-Line Inspection (ILI) PIG for non-destructive technique (NDT) inspection of pipelines (oil & gas). The existing prototype will be further developed in collaboration with our potential end users and will be made available for commercialization.

iPIM will monitor the pipeline for cracks, corrosion and other faults and send the information over a wireless communication system to the network monitoring centre where the fault will be displayed over a 3D map of the pipeline. It will accurately locate, measure and monitor corrosion and cracks over long distances at critical control points and with sufficient sensitivity and resolution to catch and monitor defects before critical failure can occur. The system is based around low power, self-energised long range and wireless sensor nodes, which allow it to automatically switch between AE and LRU modes and harvest energy from various sources to suit local environmental conditions.