Xwatch Safety Solutions, part of Hexagon AB, has partnered with RodRadar to launch what the firms describe as the construction industry’s first safety-grade system designed to prevent underground utility strikes by automatically stopping excavators mid-dig.
The integrated solution combines Xwatch’s hydraulic safety controls with RodRadar’s Live Dig Radar (LDR), a ground-penetrating radar embedded directly into an excavator bucket. The technology is capable of detecting buried utilities in real time during active excavation, without relying on pre-project utility maps or markings.
The system will be demonstrated publicly at ConExpo-Con/Agg 2026, taking place from 3-7 March in Las Vegas.
Xwatch's solutions are available in the Middle East through its partner Machine Control Middle East Trading.
Underground utility strikes remain a persistent safety and financial burden for the construction sector. In the United States alone, industry data indicates that one to two strikes occur every minute, equating to more than 400,000 incidents annually. The economic cost is estimated at US$30bn each year, with thousands of injuries and hundreds of fatalities recorded over the past two decades.
Nearly half of reported strikes occur because utilities were either not located or incorrectly marked prior to excavation. In almost two-thirds of cases, buried infrastructure was found more than two feet outside the designated marked area, highlighting the limitations of existing detection and mapping processes.
RodRadar’s LDR system addresses this gap by embedding artificial intelligence-driven radar technology directly into the excavator bucket. When the radar detects subsurface utilities during digging, the integrated system triggers Xwatch’s safety-grade hydraulic controls, automatically halting bucket movement before contact can occur.
The companies compare the approach to the automotive sector’s shift from driver assistance alerts to autonomous emergency braking systems. Rather than merely warning operators of a potential hazard, the new system takes direct preventative action. Operators retain override capability, but the default function is to stop the machine before a strike takes place, a concept RodRadar calls “Stop-Before-Strike”.
Xwatch brings experience from more than 6,500 installed safety systems worldwide, specialising in height and slew limitation through proportional hydraulic intervention. Since its acquisition by Hexagon in April 2024, the company has operated within Hexagon’s Safety, Infrastructure and Geospatial division.
Dan Leaney, Director of Sales at Xwatch, said the partnership moves the industry from risk notification to physical prevention. Yuval Barnea, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at RodRadar, added that the integration could set a new benchmark for excavation safety standards globally.
