Underwater Construction Robot Fleet AquaBuild Deep Dive: Submarine Tunnels and Artificial Islands Enter the Post-Diver Era

Underwater Construction Robot Fleet AquaBuild Deep Dive: Submarine Tunnels and Artificial Islands Enter the Post-Diver Era

Norwegian construction robotics company AquaBuild announced on December 24 that its autonomous underwater robot fleet completed first commercial deployment in a Norwegian submarine tunnel project connecting the mainland to Hessa Island. The 3.2km tunnel includes 2.1km under the seabed at 60-120 meters depth.

AquaBuild's system consists of 8 underwater robots across 3 types: CutBots with high-pressure water jets for precision rock cutting, AnchorBots for drilling and installing anchor bolts, and PourBots for transporting and precisely placing precast concrete segments.

All robots operate fully autonomously. AquaDeveloped underwater SLAM technology achieves centimeter-level positioning via sonar and underwater LiDAR. Robots communicate through an underwater acoustic mesh network with approximately 8 hours of autonomy per unit, automatically recharging at underwater docking stations.

Traditional underwater tunnel construction requires saturation divers working no more than 6 hours daily with days of decompression. AquaBuild's robot fleet operates 24/7 at 4x the efficiency while completely eliminating diver safety risks. Project costs were approximately 35% lower than traditional methods.