News

Hyperloop research program at TUM

Hyperloop research program at TUM

It is designed to move passengers at close to the speed of sound: the Hyperloop. In international competitions, students of the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have already demonstrated that they can build passenger pod prototypes that leave their competitors far behind. Now they will team up with scientists in a research program intended to make the super-fast train a reality. The program will involve, among other things, building a 24-meter test tube and a full-size prototype.

The Hyperloop is a transport system concept for a high-speed train moving at close to the speed of sound in a tube maintained at a partial vacuum. It was first proposed by SpaceX founder Elon Musk. In the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, student teams from around the world were invited to compete with their pods – as the passenger capsules traveling through the tube are to be called.

In every running of the competition to date, the TUM Hyperloop team has come out far ahead of all competitors. The TUM students posted the current record of 482 km/h in the most recent contest in July 2019.

24-meter test tube planned

But for the young inventors, it isn’t just about the speed: They are also studying how the Hyperloop can become a safe, financially feasible and sustainable mode of transport for the future. Among other innovations, they have previously developed a levitation system for the pod as well as a prototype for an ultra-rigid concrete tube.

Their commitment has not gone unnoticed: The TUM Department of Aerospace and Geodesy has now announced a Hyperloop research program to be funded under the Bavarian state government’s Hightech Agenda Bayern.

Read more.

Source: “TUM launches hyperloop research program”, TUM research news

Tags: