Hyperloop is a mode of transportation that can be described as an open source vacuum-train whose design was released by Tesla and SpaceX. Northeastern University’s student team zipped into the second place of the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, which included teams from around the globe, and was the culmination of two previous competitions for Paradigm Hyperloop. The team comprised of students from Northeastern University, Memorial University of Newfoundland, and the College of the North Atlantic.
The prototype capsule reached 63 miles per hour and acquired the 2nd position in the competition. Swissloop came third at 25 mph. The winning team, WARR Hyperloop, clocked in at 200 mph. The ultimate goal was a new mode of transport. Elon Musk, the founder of rocket and spacecraft manufacturing company SpaceX, visualises a tube infrastructure connecting major cities, with pods carrying people, and cargo traveling above 700 mph. The way 2,000-pound prototype capsule glides through the track is like a miracle to watch.
Some routes have been proposed for systems that meet the approximate distance conditions for which Hyperloop is hypothesised to provide improved transport times. In the USA, the first route was proposed from Los Angeles to San Francisco. On December 19, 2018, Elon Musk unveiled a tunnel below Los Angeles. In the presentation, a Tesla Model X drove on the predefined track. According to Musk, the costs for the system are US$10 million. It is also good news that Hyperloop Transportation technologies are in process to sign a Letter of Intent with the Indian Government for a proposed route between Chennai and Bangalore. If things go as planned, the distance of 345 km could be covered in 30 minutes.
Teams are researching and planning to make the paradigm pods much smaller and lighter to make it fast and efficient. There would be more competitions to encourage better ideas and designs to emerge in the future.
Sarthak Sinha
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