Edgbaston – December 19th 2022 – hyperTunnel, a British technology company innovating underground construction, and the University of Birmingham have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together to progress completely new methods of underground construction, enlargement, monitoring and repair.
New automated construction methods being developed by hyperTunnel are designed to benefit the construction sector and society as a whole by reducing carbon footprint and building tunnels more than 10 times faster and at half the cost of conventional methods.
At the heart of the concept is the use of robots to 3D-print the shell of the underground structure, according to a digital twin. Using this method, the construction material is deployed directly into the ground.
Initially focusing on autonomous tunnelling technologies, imaging and digital simulations, the partnership between the two organisations is likely to include activities such as collaborative research, technology projects, joint publications, secondments, internships and education programmes.
Key to the MoU is the University of Birmingham’s National Buried Infrastructure Facility (NBIF), which is part of the UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC). UKCRIC is designed to stimulate research activities in the fields of infrastructure and cities through close collaboration between academia, industry and government. NBIF is currently leading research into areas such as soil/structure interaction, digital twinning, tunnelling and quantum-technology sensing.
hyperTunnel and the University of Birmingham will also engage in joint activities at the University’s new campus in Dubai, which includes the development of a multi-million pound Tunnelling Centre of Excellence.
“We’re really looking forward to diving into this collaboration,” said Nicole Metje, Professor of Infrastructure Monitoring at the University. “Joining forces with pioneering British organisations like hyperTunnel to expand our research and amplify our impact and theirs is exactly what we’re about. This partnership is a significant milestone for NBIF.”
“The University of Birmingham is one of the top 100 academic institutions in the world and NBIF is a world-class facility,” said hyperTunnel co-founder Jeremy Hammond. “Both our organisations are deeply involved in radically innovating underground infrastructure and use of underground space. It’s really exciting to think about what we can achieve by combining our expertise like this.”
Image – hyperTunnel and the University of Birmingham have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together to progress completely new methods of underground construction, enlargement, monitoring and repair.
Image – The University of Birmingham is home to the National Buried Infrastructure Facility (NBIF), which is part of the UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities (UKCRIC).
Image – hyperTunnel recently unveiled the world’s first entirely robot-constructed underground structure, built at the company’s R&D facility in the North Hampshire Downs.
Image – Using swarm construction methods according to a digital twin of the tunnel, a fleet of robots 3D-print the shell of the structure by deploying construction material directly into the ground.
Media contact – hyperTunnel
For further information on hyperTunnel, please contact Claire Dumbreck, Propel Technology, claire@propel-technology.com / +44 7768 773857.
Media contact – NBIF / University of Birmingham
For information on the University of Birmingham, please contact Beck Lockwood, Press Office, University of Birmingham, r.lockwood@bham.ac.uk / +44 (0)7813 343348.
About hyperTunnel
hyperTunnel is a deep tech scale-up that is developing a revolutionary methodology for tunnels and underground schemes, designed to be substantially faster, safer, more economical and more environmentally friendly than current techniques. hyperTunnel’s goal is to dramatically reduce the cost of tunnels, allowing global demand for increased, yet more sustainable transportation solutions, to be met.
hyperTunnel uses a unique combination of proven technologies from diverse industries – including digital twins, robotics, 3D printing and digital underground surveying, supported by AI and VR – to redefine what is possible in tunnel construction, enlargement, monitoring and repair.
Founded in 2018 by businessmen Steve Jordan and Jeremy Hammond, hyperTunnel employs 40 people located at its Basingstoke (UK) headquarters, and outdoor learning environment (the hOLE) and Geolab in the North Hampshire Downs. hyperTunnel’s patented methodologies and its range of products and technologies, many of which have patents pending, are available via licence, (including exclusive technology distributor rights), leasing, consultancy and project support.
In 2021, hyperTunnel announced a contract with Network Rail. hyperTunnel has received a string of awards from business, innovation and technology experts. It has received funding of 1.88 m Euros from the European Innovation Council (EIC)’s EIC Accelerator scheme. hyperTunnel was recently picked by the UK government’s Innovate UK agency to join its Global Business Innovation Programme. It has also won Startup of the Year at this year’s Construction Technology Awards in Dubai. In 2021, hyperTunnel was highlighted as a Top 50 Contech Startup and was among 10 winners of the global Construction Startup Competition.
www.hyperTunnel.co.uk
https://www.linkedin.com/company/hypertunnel-limited/
hyperTunnel You Tube channel
About the University of Birmingham
The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 6,500 international students from over 150 countries.
About NBIF
The National Buried Infrastructure Facility (NBIF) is part of UKCRIC – the UK Collaboratorium for Research on Infrastructure and Cities. Based at the University of Birmingham, it is a ‘one of its kind’ facility for research, education and training in:
- buried infrastructure-ground interaction,
- soil stabilisation and improvement,
- geophysical sensing,
- pipeline detection and condition assessment,
- tunnelling,
- trenching & trenchless technologies,
- structural performance of transport-ground-pipeline systems and green-grey infrastructure interdependencies.