Leonard's (2022) article “Innovation
at the end of the tunnel” informs the public about the traditional Tunnel
Boring Machine (TBM) and the challenges that advanced technology face in
completely changing how tunnels are constructed. Population growth and urbanization
are driving the growing demand for subterranean infrastructure (Ramsey, 2017) as more clients look
for underground space to meet the demands for transportation, infrastructure,
utilities, wastewater, power, and other services. For a long time, human
strength has been the primary determining factor in construction techniques.
Furthermore, new techniques such as the TBM also didn't appear until the
industrial revolution, the building of railroads, and the mining of tunnels Leonard (2022). According to
Leonard (2022), tunnel drilling has
been attracting newcomers, such as the start-up Petra, Hypertunnel and Elon
Musk, boss of Tesla with his Boring Company, to the game, ready to challenge
the established order with their advanced technology namely Artificial
Intelligence (AI), robotics and drones which will be able to streamline the process
of tunnel drilling and ultimately revolutionize how people use the underground
region.
The TBM remains superior
to advanced machinery and technologies because of its efficiency and ability in
minimizing environmental impact resulting in shorter and safer projects which
saves time and money. It also offers a broad range of diameters to bore through
a variety of soil and rock strata, albeit one of the main drawbacks is that TBMs
are expensive to build and maintain.
Edited: 4 Feb 2023
References:
1. “Innovation at the End of the Tunnel | Leonard, Foresight and Innovation by VINCI.” Leonard, Foresight and Innovation by VINCI, 25 Jan. 2022, leonard.vinci.com/en/innovation-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.
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