When drones fly over water networks and robots governed by AI move to recognize waste, it means that the future is closer than you might think. In fact, he’s already at work. This is the message with which ACEA, active for 116 years, presented itself at the 42nd Annual Assembly of Italian Municipalities, the ANCI, bringing a water management model, but not only, to the center of the discussion with the mayors. In fact, through its companies it now provides primary services to the citizens of 13 regions in Italy.
In Bologna, in the 100 square meter exhibition space set up by the Group, 3D viewers, immersive LED walls and digital solutions showed how the adoption of robots, drones and artificial intelligence systems are already active to facilitate the water transition in the territories. All this is the result of an industrial strategy which sees ACEA, the first water operator in Italy and second in Europe, not only consolidating its presence in eight regions, after the recent arrival in Liguria and Sicily, but also planning an investment plan of 4.7 billion euros by 2028. Among the latest generation technologies presented, a special role is played by drones for the aerial monitoring of industrial sites and confined spaces, capable of increasing the safety of operators and identifying critical issues that are difficult to detect with the methods traditional. This is supported by AI systems for waste recognition and predictive maintenance models: advanced tools that allow us to anticipate faults, optimize interventions and guarantee operational continuity of water and electricity infrastructures. All to improve production efficiency and people’s safety.
The immersive route of the Acea Virtual Tour, thanks to 3D viewers, instead allowed visitors to virtually enter the plants dedicated to recycling, the regeneration of plastics and the production of energy from waste. A journey that told how waste is transformed into resources, promoting transparency, innovation and environmental culture.
Welcoming the visitors was Albert, the humanoid robot who supports the technicians in the daily activities of control and maintenance of the electricity and water networks: a concrete example of integration between artificial intelligence and human professionalism. But Acea is a protagonist with projects also relating to electricity infrastructure. Through Areti, the Group company that manages electricity distribution in Rome presented the latest solutions for public and artistic lighting. ACEA’s commitment was not limited to the display of technologies.
Two days were dedicated to seminars involving local administrators: “Water management, the challenges of the territories and innovation” and “The cities of tomorrow will not be smart, they will be energetically agile”. While on Friday the CEO Fabrizio Palermo gave a speech entitled “Europe, PNRR model: resources for municipalities that know how to invest”.