When students let robots build tunnels
Swissloop Tunneling develops autonomous microtunneling robots that lay underground pipes without having to tear up roads. Discover the award-winning tunneling system, featuring in-house-developed sensors, hydraulics, a “3D printer” that builds the tunnel wall, and the software that controls it all.
Swissloop Tunneling is a student team at ETH Zurich that develops microtunneling robots: automated tunneling machines capable of laying pipes or infrastructure underground without having to tear up large sections of road. To do this, the robot must loosen the soil, drill through the earth with millimeter precision, remove the excavated material, and simultaneously construct a tunnel wall.
At our booth, we’ll show you the tunnel-boring robot, which consists of much more than just a drill head. We developed and built the sensors, the hydraulics, the software that controls the entire process, and the extrusion system that “prints” the tunnel wall from polymer while drilling. We were able to count on the support of partner companies throughout this process.
We’ve already competed three times in the Not-a-Boring Competition in the U.S. In 2024, we took home the overall victory. Now we’re building even smaller, more agile machines for underground use—the Marmot.
