Innovation in construction: Capacités helps Bouygues to develop an autonomous drilling robot

The private subsidiary of the University of Nantes, Capacités, participated in the elaboration of an innovative robotic driller. Designed especially for tunnel operations, the machine uses geolocation and AI.

The construction of a tunnel requires drilling hundreds of thousands of holes in the walls. The company Capacités, which converts some of the research advances made in the University of Nantes into commercial projects, assisted Bouygues Travaux Publics in the development of a smart robotic drilling platform which reduces arduousness.

Geolocation, algorithms and human-machine interface

Capacités experts were in charge of automating the calculation of drilling sequences and to allow the traceability of operations. Specifically, the company first enhanced the robot with geolocation technology. Capacités also developed algorithms to accurately determine where to drill with total safety and a man-machine interface allowing to facilitate the control of the platform.

Used in Australia for the NorthConnex tunnel

Several doctors and engineers worked on this three year long R&D project, because Capacités was in partnership with the Lab of digital sciences of Nantes, Centrale Nantes, IMT Atlantique, the CNRS and Inria. The smart drilling robot has been used on the construction site of the NorthConnex tunnel in Sydney, and Bouygues now aims to build several others.