WSD taps into high-tech solutions

April 7, 2026

Enhanced safety:

WSD Senior Engineer John Louie says “Intelligent Arm” can function in difficult, hazardous positions that typically expose welders to adverse conditions.

Fine precision:

The department’s “Smart Drone” is equipped with a satellite system for precise sampling and can descend to water surfaces to collect samples.

Advanced inspections:

The six-legged “Smart Inspection Robot Dog” assists in patrolling facilities, using a high‑definition camera and gas detection equipment to identify any abnormalities.

Download Video| Transcript

Voiceover:
Precision welding in tight spaces is the specialty of “Intelligent Arm”, the Water Supplies Department’s welding robot, which recently garnered a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.

The robot’s remarkable capabilities allow it to perform precision welding inside water pipes, reducing the need for human workers to operate in such confined and hazardous spaces.

Water Supplies Department Senior Engineer John Louie:
This Intelligent Arm has three advantages.

One is its high precision. Intelligent Arm can work in a very precise position. 

And then (there) is (its) high efficiency. It can work under long working hours, without any disruption to the work progress. 

And the third one is the safe working environment. In fact, welders always work under very adverse conditions. Now we have Intelligent Arm that can work under very difficult and some challenging positions. 

Voiceover:
Intelligent Arm truly lightens the department’s workload – just like another piece of equipment known as Smart Drone.

Water Supplies Department Mechanical Engineer David Ling: 
The drone we use is equipped with the satellite (system), so we can accurately take the sample we want. We can plan our route and plan the sampling point before we take the flight.

It is also equipped with a high-resolution visual camera and an infrared camera. It helps us to do the routine inspection around the reservoir. It greatly enhances our efficiency and safety.

It is also equipped with a water sampling container. It flies over the water surface and drops down. 

Compared to traditional manual sampling through a boat, (the duration) is much faster. 

Voiceover:
To safeguard facility security, the Water Supplies Department has also introduced this six-legged Smart Inspection Robot Dog.

Water Supplies Department Electrical Engineer Anthony Kwan:
Six legs is more stable, by what we observed when it is going across high hills or going up stairs. The performance is much better than four legs. 

It is equipped with a high-definition camera.

If there are any abnormalities, it will transmit the data back to the control room. 

And the second (piece of) equipment is the gas detector. It detects dangerous gases. We can avoid humans being exposed to dangerous areas when carrying out inspections.

With the Government driving innovation across departments to boost efficiency, step forward “Intelligent Arm”, a multifunctional welding robot developed by the Water Supplies Department (WSD), which recently won a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva.

The robot’s remarkable capabilities allow it to perform precision welding inside water pipes, reducing the need for human workers to operate in such confined and hazardous spaces.

WSD Senior Engineer John Louie said Intelligent Arm offers three key advantages: high precision, enabling work at any position; high efficiency, allowing for prolonged operations and unhindered progress; and improved safety, as the robot can function in difficult, hazardous positions that typically expose welders to adverse conditions.

Working smarter

Intelligent Arm truly lightens the department’s workload – just like another piece of equipment known as “Smart Drone”.

WSD Mechanical Engineer David Ling explained that the drone is equipped with a satellite system for precise sampling, with routes and sampling points able to be pre‑planned before flight. Its water‑sampling container can descend to water surfaces to collect samples, making the process much faster than traditional boat-based methods.

It also carries a high‑resolution visual camera and an infrared camera for routine reservoir inspections, significantly improving efficiency and safety.

Six-legged friend

To safeguard facility security, meanwhile, the WSD has introduced the six-legged “Smart Inspection Robot Dog”.

“Six legs are more stable, by what we observed when it is going across high hills or going up stairs,” remarked WSD Electrical Engineer Anthony Kwan. “The performance is much better than four legs.”

The robot dog carries a high‑definition camera that flags abnormalities to the control room, and a gas detector that identifies hazardous gases, allowing staff to keep away from dangerous areas during inspections.