Underground power lines are much safer than overhead ones, especially in fire-prone areas like California. But putting cables underground is extremely expensive because it usually requires digging large trenches or using costly drilling machines. To solve this problem, the U.S. Department of Energy is funding new technologies that can lower undergrounding costs.
One promising idea comes from Case Western Reserve University, where engineers are building a robot that moves like an earthworm. The robot expands and contracts its segments to slowly push itself through soil. This method offers a small turning radius, meaning it can curve around obstacles like pipes or fiber-optic cables much more easily than traditional drilling. It also lays the power conduit as it moves, saving time.
Unlike horizontal directional drilling which needs strong pushing force over long distances the robot creates its own forward force inside the tunnel. If it hits something, it can reverse and change direction. Researchers from multiple universities are helping improve soil modeling, durability, and digging precision.
The team hopes this approach could eventually cut undergrounding costs in half. If successful, underground construction could be done faster, with fewer road disruptions, and at much lower cost making fire-safe power grids more realistic for many regions.