Worm-like robot burrows underground to cut power line installation costs
A team at Case Western Reserve University is developing a robotic system inspired by earthworms to streamline underground power line installation, IEEE Spectrum reported. The innovation, known as a "peristaltic conduit," mimics the segmented movement of earthworms to propel itself through the soil with minimal disruption to existing infrastructure.
The U.S. Department of Energy has allocated $2 million to this initiative as part of a broader $34 million effort aimed at improving undergrounding technology. Unlike conventional horizontal directional drilling (HDD), which requires substantial force to push a drill head through soil, this robotic system generates propulsion internally, reducing energy demands and installation challenges.
Kathryn Daltorio, an engineering professor and co-director of the Biologically-Inspired Robotics Lab at Case Western, told IEEE Spectrum that the robot advances by alternately expanding and contracting different segments. The short, expanded sections anchor against the burrow walls while thinner segments move forward, a process that allows for precise navigation around existing pipes and obstacles.
This approach offers a significant advantage over HDD, which typically requires wide, sweeping turns exceeding 300 meters. In contrast, the worm-like robot can navigate much tighter spaces with a turning radius as small as 1.5 meters. Another key difference is that while HDD first drills a borehole before pulling power conduit through, the peristaltic robot lays conduit as it burrows, streamlining the process and potentially cutting installation time.
According to IEEE, Daltorio and her colleagues initially developed this technology for medical and confined-space applications, but they soon recognized its potential for underground infrastructure. The team is collaborating with geotechnical, modeling, and sediment interaction experts from Auburn University, Stony Brook University, and the University of Texas at Austin.
The goal is to reduce undergrounding costs by as much as 50%, though exact projections are still in development. If successful, this method could make underground power line installation more affordable and practical, particularly in dense urban areas where traditional trenching is disruptive and costly.
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