Grainger College of Engineering — University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

THE BORING ILLINI

Fully electric. Student-built.
Competing on the world stage.

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kW Power Draw
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WHO WE ARE

Engineering the Future
of Underground Transit

The Boring Illini is an interdisciplinary student engineering team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, building a fully electric Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) from the ground up to compete on the world stage.

Founded in June 2025 and supported by the Grainger College of Engineering, our team brings together students from mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer science, and business — united by one goal: design, build, and operate a world-class TBM.

We compete in The Boring Company's Not a Boring Competition, a global contest challenging university teams to rethink how tunnels are built. Our machine design is driven by four core principles: Simplicity. Reliability. Modularity. Low-Cost.

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Hands-On Engineering
Every subsystem — from cutterhead blades to power electronics — is designed, analyzed, and built by students
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Interdisciplinary Team
Mechanical, electrical, software, and business students collaborate across every phase of development
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Industry-Backed
Supported by sponsors including Caterpillar, Fastenal, Grainger, Sumitomo, Cadence, and more
The Boring Illini team at work
The Boring Illini — Bastrop, Texas
Team in the field
Team in the Field
Rookie of the Year Award
Not a Boring Competition 2026
🏆
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
Not a Boring Competition — 2026
Awarded to the top first-year team out of all global university competitors.
Reposted by Elon
Elon Musk
@elonmusk
The Boring Illini wins Rookie of the Year at the Not a Boring Competition. Incredible work from a first-year UIUC team.
1.1M views
TBM
THE MACHINE

Built from Scratch.
Built to Last.

A fully electric TBM standing 3.022 m tall, weighing 814.9 kg, with 21.8 kW of onboard power — designed, manufactured, and assembled entirely by students.

The Boring Illini TBM
THE MACHINE
Bastrop, TX — 2026
37.4 kN
Max Thrust
2.8 kNm
Max Torque
5 RPM
Cutter Speed
277 mm/min
Max Advance Rate
3.022 m
Machine Height
21.8 kW
Max Power Draw
THE COMPETITION

Not a Boring
Competition

Hosted by The Boring Company — Elon Musk's tunneling and infrastructure startup — the Not a Boring Competition challenges university teams worldwide to design and build the fastest, most efficient small-scale tunnel boring machines.

Teams must bore a tunnel of specified dimensions as quickly as possible, scoring on speed, alignment, and engineering elegance. It's the Formula 1 of underground engineering — and the Boring Illini are in it.

Competition Details →
Phase 1 — Summer - Winter
Design & Proposal
Technical proposal, machine architecture, and safety plan submitted to The Boring Company
Phase 2 — Winter - Spring
Manufacturing Season
Full machine fabrication across all subsystems — cutterhead, propulsion, muck removal, and electrical enclosures
Phase 3 — Spring
Final Assembly & Testing
Mining Readiness Review (MRR) complete. Final assembly, 480V system testing, and pre-competition validation
Phase 4 — Spring
Competition Week
Head-to-head against top university teams worldwide at the Boring Company competition site
20+
Universities Worldwide
40 min
Fastest Target Dig Time
TBC
Hosted by The Boring Company
Year 1
First Season Competing
OUR STRUCTURE

Five Subteams.
One Machine.

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Cutterhead
Blade design, structural FEA, gearbox integration, bearing assembly, and jig manufacturing. The face that does the cutting.
Lead: Milena Savić
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Propulsion
Structural chassis design, screw jack thrust system, FEA simulations, roller brackets, and anchored structure integration.
Lead: Vedant Thakar
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Muck Removal
Auger conveyor design, soil mechanics, ACP soil conditioning system, material transport flow analysis and testing.
Lead: Alexander Xie
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Electronics
480V power distribution, VFD selection and configuration, E-stop logic, ground fault protection, electrical enclosures, RS-485/Modbus control network, Python GUI telemetry dashboard, and sensor integration.
Lead: Vihaansh Majithia
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Sponsorship & Marketing
Industry partnerships, fundraising, media, competition logistics, merchandise, and organizational outreach.
Lead: Tom Hong
THE PEOPLE

Meet the Team

23 active members. 14 competing. Student-led, faculty-advised, and entirely interdisciplinary.

The Boring Illini Team
23 Members. One Machine.
Team Leads
Vedant Thakar
VT
Vedant Thakar
Chief Engineer · Propulsion Lead
Milena Savić
MS
Milena Savić
Chief Mfg Engineer · Cutterhead Lead
Alexander Xie
AX
Alexander Xie
Drill Sergeant · Muck Removal Lead
Vihaansh Majithia
VM
Vihaansh Majithia
Electronics Lead
Tom Hong
TH
Tom Hong
Sponsorship Lead
Benjamin Loo
BL
Benjamin Loo
Embedded Systems
Vanya Zhadovich
VZ
Vanya Zhadovich
Power Systems
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Think You Have What It Takes?
Join Us
2027 Competition Team Leads
Nathan Chan
NC
Nathan Chan
Mechanical Lead
Temuujin Enkhbayar
TE
Temuujin Enkhbayar
Mechanical Lead
Adam Chen
AC
Adam Chen
Mechanical Lead
Advisors
Prof. Nenad Miljkovic
Faculty Advisor
Mechanical Science & Engineering, UIUC
Dale Sormaz & Jack Sormaz
Mechanical Advisors
Industry Technical Support

2026 Competition Team Members: Adam Chen · Tintin Yang · Adrian Huang · Temuujin Enkhbayar · Jash Doshi · Nathan Chan · Chloe Diner · Stephanie Kirova · Aria Gupta · Joakin Soederlind · Adam Weiner · Georg Bauer · Sophia Yousuf · Rachel Oh · Mason Le

PARTNERS & SPONSORS

Backed by the Best

Our sponsors make world-class student engineering possible. From raw materials to power systems, our partners provide the tools, funding, and expertise that drive us forward.

JOIN THE TEAM

Ready to Dig
Deeper?

We recruit motivated students from every discipline. No prior TBM experience required — just the drive to build something real, work with industry professionals, and represent Illinois on the world stage.

Beyond the build, members gain access to industry visits, company info sessions with corporate sponsors, and leadership opportunities across all subteams.

Mechanical Eng. Electrical Eng. Computer Science Civil Eng. Systems Eng. Business Marketing Any Major
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📍
Location
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Grainger College of Engineering
Champaign, IL 61820
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Faculty Advisor
Prof. Nenad Miljkovic
Mechanical Science & Engineering