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Swissloop Tunneling

A new way of building tunnels.

About Swissloop Tunneling

Microtunneling on another level.

We are the official ETH student team competing in Elon Musk’s Not-A-Boring-Competition (NABC). The team was founded towards the end of 2020 and has grown to over 60 students from various backgrounds in technological and business-related fields. We were part of the Digging Dozen in the first edition of the NABC in Las Vegas, NE, in 2021, where we placed second and won the Innovation and Design Award. This year, we will participate in the third edition of the same competition, in Bastrop, TX, from March 24th to March 31st.

Urban Tunneling

The developed MTBM is an ideal piece of machinery to increase efficiency in trenchless technology for urban tunneling projects. Our tunneling systems can help reduce roads’ and open urban areas' closures and pursue utility projects with minimal impact. The primary use case for such a technology is the deployment of water, gas, and electrical pipelines.

Spearhead Research

Our vision is to spearhead the research on underground infrastructure to contribute to faster and more efficient urban development in densely populated cities and drive innovation towards sustainable solutions for highspeed transportation in the future.

Sustainability

We strive for sustainable tunneling solutions in the long run and design Micro Tunnel Boring Machines (MTBMs) to be more efficient and capable of contributing to reducing CO₂ emissions in the future. Similarly, we endeavor to set an example in long-term thinking with our production, the diversity of our team, and our dedicated work attitude.

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Meet the Groundhog series

8.19

Total Length

200

Propulsion Force

0.606

Diameter

3.1

Machine Weight

Become Part of our Team

After its founding in September 2020, the Swissloop Tunneling team grew significantly, involving over 100 people throughout its first three seasons.
Students from all over the globe from different universities and backgrounds come together and bring their expertise into the association. The common goal: develop innovative MTBMs and revolutionize the underground industry.
Interested in joining the team? Find out more here.

Become a trusted Partner

Swissloop Tunneling is creating synergies with industry and university partners to build a network to revolutionize the tunneling industry.
Interested in a partnership opportunity? Find out more here.

Enough Talk, Let's Work Together

Follow Our Progress

Innovation Award
NOT-A-BORING-COMPETITION 2023
Bastrop, TX, USA
2nd Place
NOT-A-BORING-COMPETITION 2023
Bastrop, TX, USA
Innovation & Design Award
NOT-A-BORING-COMPETITION 2021
Las Vegas, NE, USA
2nd Place
NOT-A-BORING-COMPETITION 2021
Las Vegas, NE, USA