A team of students at the Delft University of Technology has proposed an innovative design for a Hyperloop pod. Winners of the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition in 2016, the TU Delft team came in second place this year with a pod design for one of the most promising transportation systems that many countries hope to build in the near future. The Netherlands in particular, where the University is located, hopes to be the first country in Europe to conceive and build a functional Hyperloop system.
The team’s work will help jumpstart the Dutch Hyperloop system’s development and catalyzes the government's efforts to invest in research that will help make the Hyperloop a reality. The system would be able to decrease the number of vehicles on the road and accommodate the needs of individuals traveling a variety of distances.
The Hyperloop concept utilizes a vacuum-sealed tube, or pod, that can travel faster than an airplane and close to the speed of sound. The pod is designed with a linear motor that propels the pod as it levitates above the track by magnetic repulsion.
Although the Hyperloop system is considered a promising alternative to current transportation options, it also requires extensive infrastructure to be built and various technologies to be implemented. Despite these requirements, the Hyperloop system’s ingenuity and promising effects are unparalleled. It is estimated that the first Hyperloop concept will be built within the next 15 years.
The TU Delft students have not only proposed a design for the pod, but also created a concept for a Hyperloop station that established a safe and convenient connection between the passengers and the fast-moving system.
News via: Delft Hyperloop
