Will save utility owners millions of dollars

Damaged underground cables can disrupt essential services and cost network owners around half a billion euros every year. Start-up Eningo has a smart solution to the problem.

Before construction projects, infrastructure such as sewers, gas, fiber and water must be protected and marked. This work is currently manual, time-consuming and costs a lot of money. As a result, construction projects all too often start before all infrastructure is clearly marked. The risk of damaged pipes is then high, and the costs involved amount to around half a billion kronor annually.

GPS technology visualizes the wires

Eningo wants to simplify and digitize work. That's why they are developing an application that visualizes the wires digitally.

- Much infrastructure already has GPS coordinates. Yet, there is no easy way to utilize it. We take advantage of technology that already exists and make it useful," says Linus Olsson, co-founder of Eningo.

The application will be directly usable by construction contractors on site. Data can be integrated directly into the excavator's control system but also visualized in mobile devices using AR.

- It is not unusual for a single construction site to have four or five different utility owners. This currently means that the same number of field technicians need to be on site, connecting to electrical cabinets, using physical maps and drawing on the ground. We want to simplify the whole process," says Linus.

Part of the space incubator

In spring 2019, Eningo was accepted into Innovatum Science Park's startup incubator, to receive support to develop their product. Later that year, they were also accepted into the national space incubator ESA-BIC, which means that they receive, among other things, development capital and access to expertise.

- We are delighted! It gives us the right conditions.

The team behind Eningo previously runs the metrology company Atritec and has seen the challenges of the industry up close.

- The team has a unique set of skills. The combination of metrological knowledge and knowledge in AI and machine control is just right. Their product fits well into the space incubator because they utilize and refine positioning data," says Deborah Lygonis, business coach and head of ESA-BIC's branch at Innovatum Science Park in Trollhättan.