Xwatch, RodRadar Announce Utility Strike Prevention System

Xwatch Safety Solutions, part of Hexagon, a leader in excavator safety systems, and RodRadar, developer of the field-proven Live Dig Radar (LDR), have announced the industry’s first 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.

RodRadar’s AI-driven LDR digging system uses the first-ever ground-penetrating radar 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.

This integration represents a fundamental step in excavation safety. The approach is analogous to the automotive industry’s evolution from advanced driver assistance systems 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, while operators retain override capability. https://hexagon.com, https://rodradar.com