``Smart'' Attachment for Utility Damage Prevention

Abstract

Reports about serious injuries and costly damages caused by excavators hitting underground utilities make frequent headlines in the news media. The accidents sometimes result in the death of one or more persons. Thus, excavation represents a dangerous operation that has to be executed with care. The Construction Automation and Robotics Laboratory (CARL) at North Carolina State University (NCSU) has been searching for an answer to the problem. A prototype system has been developed in CARL using nontraditional tactics. It is called a Buried Utility Detection System (BUDS). BUDS differs from the traditional passive metal detection systems which require the existing utility lines to serve as transmitters. BUDS generates and transmits its own magnetic impact and detects the coupling effect with any buried utility line in its detection range. Most importantly, it is installed directly on the excavating machinery and integrated with its operation. Experiments have been carried out with BUDS both in the laboratory and in the field. These experimental results are promising. The work deliberated in this paper presents an ongoing effort for developing an effective and reliable system that can be attached to any type of construction and utility digging equipment for real time underground utility line detection.