Tunneling robots have many applications, as they would be used to total underneath something to fix the problem, rescue a survivor, aid in a hostage situation or attacked an enemy such as an international terrorist, insurgents or enemy combatants hiding in a house or other locations.

A tunneling device or bot might be asked to go through earthquake debris and therefore it might be hard to keep a signal to wirelessly control the robot or in a battlefield situation of urban warfare it might be difficult to keep this signal as the robot tunnels under roadways and concrete structures.

A tunneling robot, which was under full control like an ROV or a remote control UAV or a telematic Mars Rover would have to use a very strong signal. Recently this subject came up in an online think tank when another think tank member stated;

The computers controlling the drill process, what kind of hardware could run on low power and be managed while its operating underneath you. I suggest wireless network to a local that suits easy control, as well as wired backup to a wireless feed with more range.

Indeed and the power constraints are also important as the unit would have to conserve power if it were electric or a hydraulic-electric combo. Additionally, in the wireless control would have to be adequate enough to sustain a signal equal to the range of power that the tunneling robot could endure.

These are very much important considerations and thanks to think about. It would be nice to use low power settings and have the brains of the tunneling robot operating on LED chips and circuit boards for low wattage. We also must consider that a tunneling robot would have considerable vibration and might also disrupt the signal and therefore these are all things to consider when designing, engineering and building a tunneling robot prototype. Consider this in 2006.