A New Approach To Underground Construction

Underground construction is poised to enter a new age by replacing established processes with groundbreaking new ones.

FREMONT, CA: Lateral thinking and technology transfer will revolutionize tunnels, underpasses, car parks, and other underground buildings. It's easy to focus on how current construction technologies improve the process. With the world's growing population and overcrowded cities, more transportation and utility infrastructure is essential for underground. Innovative methods improve construction by lowering time, cost, and commercial risk and improving condition monitoring and maintenance to minimize whole-life expenses.

Building before excavation

With the help of technology, it first develops the tunnel or underground structure, then digs the hole. The subsurface structure is built first. The hole in the earth isn't made with a boring machine or drill-and-blast, either. The tunnel or hole is 3D-printed in the ground using a fully parameterized 3D model of the tunnel or structure and surrounding ground. Semi-autonomous robots and a 3D ground-penetrating radar system are sent down horizontal index bores. The semi-autonomous machines are used for picking and packing, bridge-building, and pipe maintenance and repair. Swarm technology can increase underground construction efficiency and speed.