Two undergraduate students from Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) have secured a place in the finals of the 2025 Not-A-Boring Competition, an annual engineering contest organised by The Boring Company, the tunnel-digging venture of billionaire Elon Musk.

According to a recent blog by IUB, Shah Asif Hafiz, from the Department of Accounting, and Dewan Md Alif, from the Department of Finance, are part of Bored Tunnelers, a 19-member multidisciplinary team made up of students and researchers from various universities across Bangladesh. The team will compete in the final round of the competition, which is set to take place from March 27 to 29, 2025, at The Boring Company's R&D headquarters in Bastrop, Texas, USA.

Bored Tunnelers, formed in 2023, has developed a micro tunnel boring machine (MTBM) using an interdisciplinary approach that integrates robotics, mechanical, electrical, civil, and computer engineering. The team previously competed in the 2024 edition of the competition, and earned the 'Rookie Award' for their innovative concept. The team was also invited to trial their MTBM at The Boring Company headquarters in Texas.

Image: Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB)

The Not-A-Boring Competition challenges teams to construct a 30-metre-long, 500mm-wide tunnel as efficiently as possible, with the objective of advancing tunnelling speed and reducing costs. The event serves as a testing ground for future tunnelling technology with applications in urban planning, high-speed transportation, utilities, defence, and space colonisation. Teams compete across three categories—Innovation, Accuracy, and Speed—with the overall winner determined by tunnel completion time.

Despite their achievements, the team faces financial challenges in funding the local testing phase, manufacturing, shipment, and travel costs for the final round in Texas. However, they remain committed to advancing tunnel boring machine (TBM) technology in Bangladesh. 

According to the IUB website, Bored Tunnelers is working closely with manufacturing partner Bangladesh Industrial Technical Assistance Centre (BITAC) and has secured sponsorship from Grameenphone, GIGABYTE AORUS, Super Star Group (SSG), and the Ministry of Public Administration. 

The team has also expressed their gratitude for receiving guidance from Salman Khan Promon, Graduate Teaching and Research Fellow at the University of Houston, USA; Md Mamunur Rashid, Executive Engineer at BITAC; and Md Ashrafuzzaman, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Public Administration in Bangladesh.

The 2025 Not-A-Boring Competition will bring together teams for safety inspections, technical presentations, and networking opportunities before the main event. Final presentations and inspections will take place from March 24 to 26, leading up to the competition including tunnel drilling and performance evaluations from March 27 to 29. The event will conclude with post-competition cleanup on March 30 and final packing on April 1.