New Hexagon, RodRadar Tech Stops Excavator Bucket Before Striking Utilities

More than 400,000 underground utility strikes are reported in the United States each year, according to Common Ground Alliance, but RodRadar and Hexagon say they are one step closer to making zero strikes a reality.

The tech companies debuted their integrated Stop Before Strike system at ConExpo 2026, calling it “the industry’s first safety-grade solution for preventing underground utility strikes.”

Here’s how it works:

RodRadar’s AI-driven Live Dig Radar (LDR) digging system uses 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.

The LDR uses AI to remove any rocks, roots or other non-utility materials from the data before sending it to Hexagon’s Xwatch system, in addition to the depths and lengths of the located utility runs.

Hexagon’s Xwatch provides height and slew control through proportional hydraulic intervention. Any LDR-detected utilities trigger an automatic bucket stop via Xwatch to prevent it from hitting any utilities within approximately 6 inches of the machine’s bucket.

“Now, we have a job-aid tool that will eliminate ever striking a utility again by an operator," said David Hubbell, VP of sales for North America at RodRadar. “You will not need to have as many of the water vac trucks because this is a more cost-effective solution.”

Hubbell notes that contractors can rent the RodRadar LDR for $6,000 to $6,500 per month compared to approximately $16,000 per month for a vacuum excavation truck used for potholing. "The savings are going to be huge and more productive for the industry."

Much like the automotive industries’ driver assistance systems that have evolved from merely warning drivers to autonomous emergency braking, Stop Before Strike actively prevents strikes while operators retain override capability.

“RodRadar has solved the detection problem during excavation,” said Dan Leaney, director of sales at Xwatch Safety Solutions. “By integrating their Live Dig Radar technology directly into our safety-grade hydraulic control, we can physically stop the machine before a strike occurs. That’s the difference between warning about a risk and actually preventing it.”

“Xwatch’s proven track record in safety-grade hydraulic control makes them an ideal partner to bring our Zero-Strike vision to reality,” said Yuval Barnea, VP of sales and marketing at RodRadar. “The integration further closes the safety gap, transforming LDR detections into automatic strike prevention and delivering the industry’s first-ever SBS solution. We envision this to be recommended and mandated by leading industry stakeholders, project owners and contractors.”