Petra

Petra provides a non-contact thermal drilling system capable of boring through the hardest rock on Earth without touching it.

Petra eliminates the high cost and mechanical failure of traditional tunneling with its Swifty robotic platform. Using a proprietary thermal torch that reaches 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit, the system vitrifies and breaks rock (including Sioux Quartzite and Granite) at a fraction of the cost of conventional TBMs. This technology enables the undergrounding of critical utility infrastructure in geologies previously deemed impenetrable. By avoiding mechanical cutters, Petra reduces equipment wear and accelerates project timelines for 24 to 60 inch diameter utility tunnels.

https://www.petra.cc