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General Dynamics: Mission Systems - Boring Robot

Fiber Optic Cable is the pinnacle of modern connectivity- it has the ability to transmit a large amount of data quickly and at a low cost. Unfortunately, the current method of laying large cables such as these involves trenching, which is both expensive and disruptive to the environment. The Boring Team, at the request of General Dynamics Mission Systems, has proposed an autonomous tunnel-boring machine that will eliminate the need for trenching and cut costs of fiber optic cable installation tremendously. This one-meter-long robot can autonomously navigate from a beginning point to a set end point, avoiding obstacles along the way. The robot bores and then provides support for the six-inch-diameter tunnel it creates, ensuring it stays open long enough for the four inch Fiber Optic cable to later be pulled through. It will be accurate within one meter of the endpoint for a 50 meter tunnel, for which it will take no longer than 12 hours to dig. The robot will be able to be left alone after being programmed and inserted into the ground, allowing for a future of faster and more accessible communication at the push of a button.