PR – REISAR project

November 27, 2024

“France 2030”: TRAAK consortium wins REISAR project for sustainable water management

Press Release

Paris, November 27, 2024

“France 2030: CESI LINEACT, CONSCIENCE, PILGRIM TECHNOLOGY and TRAAK win major funding for REISAR project, dedicated to sustainable water management.

New robotic technologies for sustainable water quality preservation

As part of the “France 2030” plan, CESI LINEACT, the research and innovation unit of the CESI engineering school, and PILGRIM TECHNOLOGY, Conscience and TRAAK, companies specializing in robotics and industry, have created a consortium dedicated to the REISAR project (Advanced Robotic System for Inspection of Sanitation Networks and Water Preservation). Supported by Normandie AeroEspace (NAE), the EMC2 cluster and the International Office for Water, the consortium mobilizes the skills and know-how of each of the partner companies to meet the pressing challenges of sustainable water management and wastewater infrastructure maintenance.

Sewage networks are essential for the safe conveyance of wastewater to treatment centers. Nevertheless, their increasing age and complex accessibility make it necessary to adopt advanced technologies to preserve service quality and avoid soil pollution, in line with the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. REISAR offers a unique solution by combining advanced robotics, geolocation and communication technologies to meet these critical challenges.

A multidisciplinary consortium dedicated to water conservation

The aim of this project is to map and navigate these wastewater conveyance networks with unrivalled precision (less than 40 cm), using an amphibious hybrid robot. It will need to be able to evolve in complex, constrained environments in complete autonomy, often without the possibility of communicating with its operator.

The consortium is structured to meet the multidisciplinary challenges of the project:

CESI LINEACT: CESI LINEACT is recognized for its expertise in complex systems and the integration of upstream research in real environments through its applied research activities. The research unit will also leverage its know-how in navigation and localization in complex environments, notably by developing high-precision positioning algorithms. These algorithms merge various sources of location data, enabling robots to find their way even in poorly textured tunnels.

CONSCIENCE: focused on ease of use and acceptability, CONSCIENCE develops an intuitive interface to enable operators, even those with no robotics experience, to make effective use of the solution. Through a co-design approach with end-users, CONSCIENCE guarantees optimized adoption and increased operator skills.

PILGRIM TECHNOLOGY: in charge of developing the amphibious vector and integrating the perception and control modules, PILGRIM TECHNOLOGY ensures that the robot can detect and analyze pipe anomalies such as cracks or sedimentation.

TRAAK: the company contributes its expertise in 3D geolocation in GPS-free environments, and a proprietary multi-frequency communication system for resilient, continuous transmission of information in underground environments. Inspired by the critical communication needs of first responders, this system guarantees the continuity of navigation and feedback missions in complete safety.

By accurately mapping networks, the REISAR project aims to optimize the management of sanitation infrastructures and prevent water losses, thus contributing to better preservation of this essential resource, in line with the United Nations’ “Agenda 2030” program, co-signed by the institut

The REISAR project, an innovation “Made in France”

The “Made In France” nature of this large-scale robotics project is a guarantee of French excellence in the field, and respect for environmental imperatives.

The REISAR robot meets current regulatory requirements and safety standards, particularly in terms of georeferencing sensitive structures, which will be mandatory from 2026. This project is part of a long-term vision, with potential applications in a variety of constrained environments.

As an example of “green” innovation, the REISAR project has the potential to be transposed to other sectors, offering promising prospects for the future of robotics in a wide range of fields, including the management of drinking water networks and critical infrastructures. Through this breakthrough, the consortium aims to support network operators in preventive maintenance and rational water management, thus helping to preserve this precious resource.

In addition, the REISAR project intends to contribute to the success of the objectives of the “France 2030” plan, announced in 2021 by Emmanuel Macron, President of the French Republic as being “[…] the response to the major challenges of our time, in particular the ecological transition, through a massive investment plan to bring about the future technological champions of tomorrow and support the transitions of our sectors of excellence […]” (Source: elysee.fr). All stakeholders are proud to collaborate on this project under the direction of Vincent VAUCHEY, senior research engineer at CESI LINEACT and REISAR project coordinator.

About CESI:

An engineering school founded in 1958 by companies, CESI today boasts 25 campuses throughout France with state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities, 110,000 alumni, 8,000 host companies and over 130 partnerships with universities worldwide.

CESI is committed to the social advancement, accessibility and professional integration of its graduates, while developing its academic excellence. Its mission is to prepare its students for emerging professions and the expectations of companies by offering courses from bac+3 to bac+8. Aware that combining people and technology is a major challenge today, CESI offers a cross-disciplinary range of courses in Management and Human Resources. The CESI engineering school supports companies in their energy and digital transitions with a BtoB offer that includes vocational training and work-study programs.

Its governance is made up of business leaders and six professional branches: UIMM (Union des Industries et Métiers de la Métallurgie), FFB (Fédération Française du Bâtiment), FNTP (Fédération Nationale des Travaux Publics), FFIE (Fédération Française des Intégrateurs Electriciens), Numeum, and since May 2023, UTPF (Union des Transports Publics et Ferroviaires).

Press contacts: Clément Dufrenne – cdufrenne@madamemonsieur.agency – Tel.: +33 7 87 07 18 06

Stéphanie Masson – smasson@madamemonsieur.agency – Tel.: +33 6 84 65 17 34

About PILGRIM TECHNOLOGY:

Since 2012, Pilgrim Technology has been a recognized player for its expertise and innovative solutions in technical inspection. Operating in critical sectors such as Oil & Gas, maritime, offshore, marine renewables, nuclear and defense, our company stands out for the reliability of its drones and robots designed for safety-critical missions. We develop and manufacture our own tools – drones and robots – integrating the latest technologies to guarantee robust, safe and tailor-made solutions.

Partenaire de confiance pour de grands groupes comme EDF, Total, Naval Group, Thales ou Suez, ainsi que pour les forces armées françaises, Pilgrim Technology s’engage chaque jour à offrir des solutions techniques à la fois économiques, écologiques et sécurisées pour accompagner ses clients dans l’optimisation de leurs opérations.

PILGRIM TECHNOLOGY is committed to developing its innovations 100% in France.

Press contact: Anne-Marie Haute (founder and president) – +33 6 43 65 88 88 – amh@pilgrim-technology.com

About TRAAK:

Founded in 2020, TRAAK is a French start-up specializing in the development of innovative geolocation and biometric tracking solutions for complex and degraded environments. TRAAK has the particularity of having internalized in France all stages from R&D to manufacturing to enable greater flexibility and sovereignty for its customers.
Thanks to its expertise in geolocation (outdoor, indoor, GPS denied, relative) and communication, the company offers innovative solutions for the security, defense and industrial markets, enabling the generation and communication of highly reliable data where it is most needed.

TRAAK technologies cover 4 business verticals: cooperative tracking, non-cooperative tracking, navigation of drones and robots in GNSS denied zones, and development of customized solutions.

Recognized as a defense nugget by Capital magazine in 2023, TRAAK has an international patent and numerous awards to its name, including the Sapeurs-Pompiers de France Innovation Award in 2022.

The startup is committed to developing its innovations 100% in France.

Press contact: Florence Guigue – +33 6 62 80 75 89 – fguigue@traak.tech

About Conscience:

founded in 2017 in Hérouville-Saint-Clair, Normandy, is a French startup specializing in the design and development of advanced technologies in robotics and artificial intelligence. Conscience Robotics offers a universal operating system, the Conscience OS, adaptable to any type of robot, whether humanoid, flying or rolling. This system integrates artificial intelligence, enabling robots to become autonomous, capable of moving around, detecting objects and interacting effectively with their environment. Conscience Robotics collaborates with various industries to automate and optimize a wide range of activities, while also working with robot manufacturers to enhance their capabilities. The company’s main objective is to assist humans by designing robots that are useful in areas such as health, safety and general well-being.

Press contact: Iliès Zaoui – +33 6 51 80 42 62- ilies.zaoui@conscience-robotics.com