As the official logistics partner of Swissloop Tunneling, the international transport and logistics service provider Gebrüder Weiss provided sponsored land and sea transportation to ensure that Groundhog Alpha from Dübendorf in Switzerland arrived in Las Vegas on time and that the students were able to successfully demonstrate the operational suitability of their high-tech drilling robot. The coronavirus pandemic and the associated staff shortages posed major logistical challenges for everyone involved.

"Investments in sustainable mobility concepts are necessary. The Hyperloop competition was an ideal opportunity for us to put our own corporate values into practice. This includes ensuring the mobility of tomorrow. We are proud that our tunnel boring pioneers from Zurich have achieved an excellent place in the top group," says Lothar Thoma, Managing Director Air & Sea at Gebrüder Weiss. "We will continue to be committed to finding new ways to transport goods in the future. Be it in the air, on water, on land or even underground," says Thoma.

The aim of the "Not-A-Boring-Competition" was to bore a tunnel for the transportation of people or goods as quickly and accurately as possible as part of the Hyperloop project. The Hyperloop project, which goes back to an idea by Tesla founder Elon Musk, is based on the idea of transporting people and goods to their destination at high speed over long distances below or above the earth's surface. To make tunnel construction financially viable, the required drilling robots must be as fast, compact and automated as possible.

"Gebrüder Weiss is an important partner for our team. Our success as a winner in this innovation competition would not have been possible without the company's support," says Stefan Kaspar, founder and Co-President of Swissloop Tunneling.

This article appeared in issue 10/2021.