This is the waterways' answer to the Cybermen, R2D2 and all the rest.'Valiant', the underwater robot being trialled by the Canal & River Trust to carry out engineering work on canal reservoirs without needing to drain down the water.The trial was part of a £2m project to upgrade Carr Mill Reservoir near St Helen's, which supplied the Sankey Canal, including removal of an asbestos concrete pipe, installation of a new gauging weir, safety railings, ladders and steps, repairs to the spillway and stilling basin, strengthening of the dam crest and replacement of water control valves dating from the 1860s. This final task would normally have required the lake to be emptied, but as CRT's project designer Tim Brownrigg explained, this was a job for the tracked remote-controlled vehicle: "The Valiant is set to revolutionise how we manage underwater reservoir maintenance, particularly difficult jobs like replacing old worn-out valves in locations where it's too dangerous to send divers."
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