The wheeled pipeline robot is used in Italy. [Photo/WeChat account of Optics Valley of China]

In a park in Cape Town, South Africa, a professional team recently checked on an underground drainage pipe. Fortunately, they didn't have to plunge into the darkness and endure the foul smell themselves, they instead sent a 90-kilogram pipeline robot developed by Wuhan Easy-Sight Technology Co.

The company is based in East Lake High-tech Development Zone (also known as Optics Valley of China, or OVC).

Equipped with 360-degree cameras and radars, the robot is able to form a 3D digital model of the pipe and transmit high-definition videos, cross-section outlines and other visual images of the pipe. Experts then provide solutions based on a series of quantitative analyses and direct exhibitions.

The underground pipeline is 4 meters beneath the ground and filled with toxic gases. The low-cost and highly-efficient robot causes minimal destruction to the ground and is a brilliant invention, according to a local TV interview.

Easy-Sight Tech also developed other kinds of robots for surface and underwater operations, in addition to the wheeled ones. The equipment and relevant technologies are currently widely applied in more than 20 cities, including Paris, Tokyo, Seoul, Toronto, and Chicago.

The firm, founded in 2010, focuses on drainage pipeline testing, the manufacturing and researching of pipeline maintenance equipment, and the analysis and operation of drainage networks.

After 12 years of rapid growth, the enterprise now registers annual revenue of over 200 million yuan ($31.6 milion), up from 500,000 yuan in the first year of operation, and has become a leading player in its field. Last year, the firm was awarded the title of "national little giant company".