This month, The University of Houston was featured on EurekaAlert!, part of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), spotlighting their collaboration with Oceanit. BURROW is a groundbreaking technology to transform underground power line installation, making it safer, faster, and cheaper.
EuekaAlert! Features Oceanit’s BURROW – Tech to Enhance Power Grid Resilience:
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1066951
Energy Capital HTX also featured BURROW, emphasizing its potential to address vulnerabilities in Houston’s aging above-ground power grid, which has proven susceptible to failures during recent extreme weather events in Texas, like hurricanes and winter freezes.
Energy Capital HTX Highlights Oceanit’s Collaboration with University of Houston:
https://energycapitalhtx.com/university-of-houston-doe-gophurrs
Traditionally, underground power lines have been safer than their above-ground counterparts, but the higher installation costs made “undergrounding” less popular. BURROW, which stands for Borehole Underground Reconnaissance and Real-time Obstacle Wayfinder, is an AI-powered subsurface sensing system created to make undergrounding as affordable as above-ground lines.
This innovative system optimizes horizontal drilling through Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) networked with AI-enhanced subterranean drill heads. These components work together to detect and avoid existing utilities along the tunneling path, ensuring a streamlined and safe installation process.
Developed in collaboration with the University of Houston, BURROW is backed by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E). The project will protect communities from power grid failures and reduce power line-related accidents by facilitating the transition to underground power grids.
