Tunnel

Bay Area startup Earthgrid says it's developing a plasma boring robot that can dig underground tunnels 100x faster and up to 98% cheaper than existing tech, and it plans to use it to start re-wiring America's energy, internet and utilities grids.

A lot less technologically optimistic than the Hyperloop-TT Hyperport project, Cargo Sous Terrain looks considerably more likely to happen, with its first 10-stop, 70-km (43-mile) series of underground tunnels scheduled to begin taking cargo in 2031.

San Francisco startup Petra says its new contactless thermal drilling robot can make steady progress through super-hard rock that would normally destroy drilling equipment – and it's absolutely mesmerizing to watch "Swifty" in action.

Having finally begun moving the first passengers through its Las Vegas tunnels back in June, The Boring Company has now received initial approval to expand the system across the city, a network that could amount to as many as 51 stations.

Robots are great explorers, but one environment that’s tricky for them to navigate is through the ground. Now, engineers at UCSB and Georgia Tech have developed a snake-like robot that uses a range of methods to burrow through soft sand or soil.

Around two years after having the project approved and one year after finishing construction of the tunnel, The Boring Company's transport Loop beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center has now started transporting passengers.

Norway's remarkably ambitious Stad Ship Tunnel has finally been given the thumbs up. Slated to begin construction next year, the tunnel will cut through an entire peninsula, allowing ships to bypass Norway's most hazardous shipping route.

The Boring Company’s vision for a network of transport tunnels beneath Las Vegas has gained a little more traction, with local officials approving plans for an expansion that includes a new stop at the Resorts World Las Vegas casino.

Competitions that pit engineers, designers and creators against one another can be a great way to foster technological advances, and now The Boring Company is getting in on the act with a tunneling contest involving a snail.

The Boring Company is yet to add the finishing touches to its recently excavated tunnel beneath the Las Vegas Convention Center, but a lack of polish hasn’t stopped two nearby casinos from wanting to get in on the action.

The Boring Company has now completed the excavation phase of the high-speed transport system that will circle beneath the surface of the Las Vegas Convention Center, with public rides slated to kick off early next year.

Researchers at EPFL have crunched the numbers on heat transfer in the air of train tunnels, and outlined a geothermal heat recovery system that could potentially supply heating and cooling to thousands of nearby homes.