The Boring Company (TBC), founded by Elon Musk, is at it again with their 2023 Not-A-Boring Tunneling Competition. The company’s mission is to solve traffic problems and enable rapid point-to-point transportation through safe, fast-to-dig, and low-cost transportation, utility, and freight tunnels. TBC has challenged engineers from around the world to design and build tunneling machines that will accelerate innovation in tunneling technology.
This year’s competition will feature five student teams from four different countries: CU Hyperloop, Swissloop Tunneling, The Diggeridoos, TUM Boring, and Warwick Boring. The teams will compete in four categories, with the priority being the fastest completion of the tunnel. The second category is innovative design, build, and/or test, followed by the most accurate tunnel and the tightest turn.
The competition has several requirements for teams, including designing their tunneling machine and launch structure, providing and following a predicted tunnel path, and monitoring and controlling their machine remotely. Teams are encouraged to design, build, and test all systems in-house and minimize their dependency on heavy machinery during competition week. TBC also requires that teams bore at a nominal depth of at least 1.5 meters to reduce surface disturbances and that pre-launch excavation counts against tunneling time.
Both student-led and non-student teams are eligible to enter the competition, with no minimum or maximum number of team members. Teams must pass several pre-competition assessments, including a preliminary design briefing, final design briefing, and pre-competition presentation I and II, to advance to competition week. At the competition, teams will conduct several tests and briefings on their machines and operations to prove safety and reliability to TBC advisers.
The 2023 Not-A-Boring Tunneling Competition is an excellent opportunity for engineering students and professionals to showcase their skills and push the limits of tunneling technology. TBC is making great strides in solving traffic problems and enabling rapid transportation, and this competition is one of the many ways they are achieving their mission.
