RodRadar partners with Hexagon to integrate autonomous emergency stop function into Live Dig Radar
The system automatically stops excavator bucket movement when subsurface utilities are detected during active excavation
Xwatch Safety Solutions, part of Hexagon, and RodRadar, have created a safety-grade solution for preventing underground utility strikes. The integrated system automatically stops excavator bucket movement when subsurface utilities are detected during active excavation, making RodRadar's Zero-Strike vision a reality.
Underground utility strikes cost the construction industry billions in damages
Underground utility strikes remain among the most persistent safety and financial challenges in construction. In the United States, one to two strikes occur every minute, with over 400,000 incidents reported annually, costing the economy approximately $30 billion each year and contributing to thousands of injuries and hundreds of fatalities over the past two decades.
Nearly 50 percent of strikes occur because utilities were not located or were mislocated, and in 64 percent of incidents the buried infrastructure was more than two feet outside the marked area.
Live Dig Radar digging system
RodRadar's AI-driven Live Dig Radar digging system uses ground-penetrating radar (GPR) embedded directly in an excavator bucket to detect underground utilities in real-time, during excavation, without reliance on pre-project utility data. Through the RodRadar-Xwatch integration, LDR detected utilities trigger an automatic bucket stop via Xwatch's safety-grade hydraulic control system to prevent it from hitting the utility.
The integration represents a fundamental step in excavation safety. The approach is analogous to the automotive industry's evolution from Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) that merely warn drivers, to autonomous emergency braking that actively prevents collisions: the integrated system takes direct action, delivering what RodRadar terms Stop-Before-Strike (SBS), while operators retain override capability.
Xwatch Safety Solutions brings long-standing experience in safety-grade excavator control to this partnership. With over 6,500 systems installed worldwide, the company is a global leader in excavator safety technology, providing height and slew control through proportional hydraulic intervention. Acquired by Hexagon AB in April 2024, Xwatch operates within Hexagon's Safety, Infrastructure & Geospatial division, alongside Leica Geosystems and IDS GeoRadar.
"RodRadar has solved the detection problem during excavation," said Dan Leaney, Director of Sales at Xwatch Safety Solutions. "By integrating their Live Dig Radar technology directly into our safety-grade hydraulic control, we can physically stop the machine before a strike occurs. That's the difference between warning about a risk and actually preventing it."
"Xwatch's proven track record in safety-grade hydraulic control makes them an ideal partner to bring our Zero-Strike vision to reality," said Yuval Barnea, VP of Sales and Marketing at RodRadar. "The integration further closes the safety gap, transforming LDR detections into automatic strike prevention and delivering the industry's first-ever SBS solution. We envision this to be recommended and mandated by leading industry stakeholders, project owners, and contractors."
Construction safety remains a critical industry concern, with 1,075 fatalities recorded in U.S. construction in 2023, the highest figure since 2018; struck-by incidents account for approximately 15.4 percent of those fatalities. The integrated solution aims to establish Zero-Strike Excavation as the new industry standard, with the potential to become mandated on job sites where underground utilities are present.
