Korea Water Resources Corporation is moving to introduce a robot-based
inspection system for managing water supply facilities. Photo Courtesy of K-water
May 28 (Asia Today) — Korea Water Resources Corporation, also known as K-water, is accelerating the use of four-legged artificial intelligence robots to inspect large-scale water treatment plants.
The state-run water agency is adopting robots to improve facility inspections and safety management in hazardous areas and during nighttime patrols at water treatment plants.
Under K-water’s plan to introduce inspection robots at metropolitan water treatment plants, four-legged robots will be deployed this year and next year at four facilities in Seongnam, Hwaseong, Gosan and Gongju.
The agency plans to use data and results from those sites to expand the system to 40 additional water treatment plants by 2030.
K-water plans to deploy robots at 10 plants in 2027, 11 in 2028, nine in 2029 and 10 in 2030. The plan would establish a robot operating system at 44 metropolitan water treatment plants, with 44 robots in total.
A task force will soon begin work to operate the four pilot sites selected for this year.
The total budget for the project is 26 billion won, or about $17.3 million. It includes 7.8 billion won, or about $5.2 million, in state funding and 18.2 billion won, or about $12.1 million, from K-water’s own budget.
The robots will be used for equipment inspections, patrols, construction supervision and accident response. K-water is also considering the phased introduction of water quality analysis assistance robots, grass-cutting robots and unmanned guide robots.
The agency eventually plans to replace some of the robots with humanoid robots.
The use of AI and robots at water treatment plants is part of K-water’s strategy to create fully autonomous facilities. The agency aims to upgrade AI functions now used to assist workers and achieve fully autonomous water treatment plant operations within four years.
After that, K-water plans to package AI-based plant operation technology with robot-based management systems for use in overseas water management markets.
Once the robot operating system is established, K-water expects robots to handle 61% of condition inspection work among inspection and maintenance tasks. Condition inspections include checking whether equipment has visible abnormalities.
The agency estimates the system could save about 2.25 billion won, or about $1.5 million, annually.
K-water also plans to develop its own independent control system to avoid dependence on specific vendors for data accumulated during robot operations and additional operating costs.
“Bidding for the four pilot sites is expected to begin as early as next month, along with software service procurement,” a K-water official said. “Contracts are expected around August, and actual installation is expected to begin at the end of the year.”
The official said K-water will also consider gradually expanding the system beyond water treatment plants to other water supply facilities, dams and sewage systems.
— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI
© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.
Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260528010008434