The saboteur robot? "A more than credible hypothesis. And it was not just any operation"

"The bombs that caused four leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipeline, some 80 meters deep in the exclusive economic zones of Sweden and Denmark, may have been the

operating inside the pipeline structure during repair work ". 

This is the thesis of the English newspaper The Guardian, supported by the considerations of some experts interviewed by the newspaper.

"If this theory turns out to be correct, the sophisticated nature of the attack and the power of the explosion would add weight to suspicions that the attacks were carried out by a state power, with the finger pointing at Russia."

"Analyzing the facts that have so far been disclosed by the press, there are certainly two elements of greatest interest:

where the breakages occurred is about 80 m and the

necessary to create leaks of this magnitude in steel pipes with a thickness of 4 centimeters, covered with reinforced concrete between 6 and 11 centimeters thick, is of the order of hundreds of kg. "

To say it is Professor Vincenzo Lippiello, expert in robotics for inspection and maintenance at the Federico II University of Naples.

That said, some considerations can be made on the operational and logistical level, which lead to similar conclusions.

Here is Lippiello's comment:

"From a purely operational point of view, the placement of explosives charges of this weight and size, albeit at not excessive depths, is an operation that requires

, in addition of course to

Given that the hypothesis of the involvement of a private company is unlikely, if only for reasons of secrecy in an operation of this magnitude, it is very likely that it is a military operation.

"From a purely technical point of view", adds Lippiello - "

(Remotely Operated Vehicles - ROVs) have almost certainly been used, equipped with hydraulic arms capable of lifting loads of tons, which are normally used for

of submarine power lines and pipelines.

These particular robots are operated by a support ship or submarine through an

that can have extensions of up to a few km.

Given the type of cargo transported and the purpose of the mission, the use of fully autonomous submarine robots (Autonomous Underwater Vehicles - UAVs), therefore without an umbilical cable, is

. "

As a further hypothesis, adds the professor, “one could think of military vehicles for submarine transport

"

How could an operation of this magnitude have been carried out without anyone noticing?

"From a logistical point of view, in both hypotheses, excluding the presence of tactical submarines in such shallow waters, as they are

, from a logistical point of view the hypothesis of a

, possibly disguised for looking like a

, it is certainly among the most accredited. ”, speculates the expert of Federico II.

There is also the possibility that the leaks on the pipelines have been planned for some time: "Note that these explosive charges could have been placed days, weeks or

, and then be

, even tens of km, through

I would not exclude the presence of

already positioned on all the main gas pipelines and power lines that feed the European continent.

The Federico II University of Naples is at the forefront of robotics research with its Prisma Lab (Projects of Industrial and Service Robotics, Mechatronics and Automation) - which includes Professor Vincenzo Lippiello - directed by Professor

, considered the ' father of Italian robotics.