Hi Duilio:
    We use this service in oil industry to track the path of deviated wells.
There are many companies but the most famous one is GYRODATA. I don't know
if they can help you, but you loose nothing asking them (sorry, I don't have
an URL)

Marcelo Fornaso

PS: I'm almost sure this is [OT]



----- Original Message -----
From: Duilio Foschi
To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU
Sent: Monday, March 20, 2000 7:17 AM
Subject: oil company device


I live in Italy in an old apartment building (once a barn) built about 400
yrs ago.

Nobody knows the exact route of the sewer pipe. We only know the location
of the last drain well.

Due to a court litigation, we need to ascertain the route of the sewer pipe.

The only way known here is to begin digging from the drain well and follow
the sewer pipe up to the main sewer pipe (the one owned by the city) buried
somewhere under the street level.

This would be very expensive, as it means breaking the floors of the shops
located at ground level and stopping their activity for several days.

I guess that someone must have built a simple device fitted with a
gyroscope and an inclinometer that can be inserted in the drain well and
follow the sewer pipe.

The device will transmitting back infos by wire and a PC will be able to
draw the route of the device, i.e. of the pipe.

A jet of compressed air could be the chosen locomotion system.

I heard that oil companies use this mousetrap, so someone out there must
build and sell it.

Any hint ?

Thank you

Duilio Foschi