The Boring Company’s (TBC) 2024 Not-a-Boring Competition recently started with 130 students in 8 teams from 5 countries. The student teams will compete based on maximum tunneling speed and innovation. Who can beat Gary the Snail?
This year, TBC added three mini-competitions or projects that can be completed in shorter timelines than the main event. Below are the three mini-competitions and their objectives.
Digging Project – Create an innovative digging system for a tunnel-boring machine.Tunnel Lining Project – Create an innovative tunnel reinforcement system for a tunnel boring machine. Navigation Project – Innovate a tunnel boring machine’s autonomous guidance and navigation system, which cannot use GPS to localize.
For the 2024 Not-a-Boring Competition’s main event, teams will compete in three categories. In order of priority, the categories are fastest to complete the tunnel, innovative design, build, and/or test, and most accurate tunnel.
The 2024 Not-a-Boring Competition has begun! The 130 students (8 teams and 5 countries) are competing on max tunneling speed and innovation. Beat the snail! pic.twitter.com/KFro6J3mjB
— The Boring Company (@boringcompany) March 27, 2024
Last year, five teams advanced to the finals. The 2023 Not-a-Boring Competition finalists are listed below.
CU Hyperloop – University of Colorado Boulder – United StatesThe Diggeridoos – Virginia Tech – United StatesSwissloop Tunneling – ETH Zurich – SwitzerlandTUM Boring – Innovation in Tunneling – Technical University of Munich (TUM) – GermanyThe Warwick Boring Team – University of Warwick – United Kingdom
TUM Boring was the Overall Winner in 2023 with a tunnel length of 11.80 m. Swissloop Tunneling won the Innovation Award, while CU Hyperloop took home the Accuracy and Navigation Award in the 2023 Not-a-Boring Competition.
Registration for the 2025 Not-a-Boring Competition is officially open.
“The 2025 Not-a-Boring Competitions will challenge competition teams over 8 days and will be held in Bastrop, Texas. Competition Week 2025 is preliminarily scheduled to occur in the spring of 2025,” announced TBC.
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