(ORDO NEWS) — If California-based startup EarthGrid achieves its goals, downed power lines and faulty electrical transformers may soon be a problem of the past.
New Atlas reports that EarthGrid is working on a Rapid Burrowing Robot (RPR) plasma drilling robot that is capable of digging underground tunnels 100 times faster and 98% cheaper than its competitors.
“Imagine a robot with ten ‘lightsabers’ in front that allow it to cut through rocks and soil by vaporizing them, ” EarthGrid founder Troy Helming said in a short video demonstrating the capabilities of RPR.
The front end of the robot drills, while the back end “spits out” chunks of rock the size of corn flakes. It is noteworthy that the technology is able to drill without touching the walls of the tunnel, which means that the robot can do its job without stopping, as the tools are protected from fatal wear and overheating.
EarthGrid is drilling a tunnel into the future
EarthGrid plans to use its technology to create an underground network of tunnels that will supply the US with renewable energy.
The move could help stabilize power grids and protect infrastructure from the elements an important lesson New Yorkers learned after the Great Snowstorm of 1888.
During this storm, a huge amount of snow fell on the city; power lines were destroyed, which at that time were not yet buried underground and went exclusively along ground poles, crossing the streets.
Undoubtedly, underground wires provide greater electrical stability, but they use slow and expensive machinery. EarthGrid wants to fix the situation and save the states from the problem of downed power lines during bad weather.
However, EarthGrid has a long way to go from its 20-second demo video to a full-fledged solution to the country’s energy problems, but we believe that an ambitious company will definitely succeed.
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