Highlights from the PIPEON participation to the SPN11 Conference

The PIPEON Project concluded its participation in the 11th Strategic Pipe Network (SPN11) conference in Trondheim, marking a significant milestone in the project’s efforts to modernize urban water infrastructure.

A central highlight of the event was a collaborative prospective workshop co-organized by the PIPEON Project and EU AI:Liner. The workshop brought together a diverse group of stakeholders—including researchers, utility companies, and technology providers—to engage in a “prospective exercise” designed to challenge current practices in infrastructure asset management.

Visionary Scenarios for 21st-Century Infrastructure
Participants explored several radical scenarios for the future of water networks, focusing on three key pillars:

• Digital Transformation: The feasibility and ROI of full-scale Digital Twins enabling real-time modeling of pipe conditions and water quality.

• Autonomous Robotics: The transition of autonomous robots from theoretical concepts to cost-effective tools for independent infrastructure inspection.

• Material Innovation and Climate Adaptation: A shift toward self-healing pipe materials and the fundamental question of whether current infrastructure designs remain valid for the next 200 years of climate constraints.

In addition to the workshop, the PIPEON team presented cutting-edge research regarding inspection planning in environments where condition data is currently unavailable. The presentation highlighted the transformative potential of autonomous robots in gathering unprecedented data from underground assets, providing a more informed basis for rehabilitation decisions.

The successful participation in SPN11 was made possible through strong collaboration with partners from NTNU (Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering) and the wider European research community.