Our Mission
The Diggeridoos team is developing a revolutionary way of reinventing travel infrastructure through the design, analysis, and manufacturing of an innovative micro tunneling machine. Tunneling machines have hit a stagnation point in their development over the years, but The Diggeridoos have set a goal to revitalize innovation in the industry by making micro tunneling faster, cheaper, and more efficient.
Our Story
The Diggeridoos were initially founded in September 2020 following the announcement of The Boring Company’s Not-a-Boring Competition. Shortly thereafter, we began to organize and embark on creating a conceptual design for a small-scale boring machine (TBM). Through trial and error, we successfully developed a detailed final design that gained the approval of The Boring Company. Out of nearly 400 applicants, our concept was narrowed down to twelve teams issued to compete in the 2021 competition. In that competition, we were rewarded with the fastest launch design in the world. Recently, in 2024, the competition intensified as only five teams returned. A huge milestone was reached as we dug for the first time, becoming the first team in North America to do so. As we gear up for the future, our team will continue to innovate and push the boundaries of what is possible in tunneling technology!
The Virginia Tech College of Engineering is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious engineering programs in the world. Particularly, the University’s Mining and Minerals Engineering School is often regarded as one of the best. The team is built on an open vetting process in which anyone who is interested is able to join. Members hit the ground running and are given responsibility as soon as they join the team. Most who join possess a passion for engineering and innovation. Through this method of open recruitment we are able to have a wide range of skill sets and talent and do not limit the teams capabilities based on who joins. It also allows for our passionate and talented engineering students to have the opportunity to express their talents and interests in a unique manner compared to other engineering design teams.
