Take A Virtual Look At How Future Hyperloop Stations May Look

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Traveling via a Hyperloop network is still some years away, but a team of students has come up with a virtual model of how it could look. The team has designed the pod’s exterior and interior and created a vision of how a hyperloop station could look.

The team that has come up with the design is from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The group is competing in the 2019 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, which starts next week. The team created a panoramic virtual reality experience of its Atlas 02 pod.

Delft University of Technology has partnered with CG/interactive technology company INDG and graphics studio AltSpace to design the 3D experience. Their model includes the pod’s exterior and interior designs and their vision of the hyperloop station, including infographic screens and navigational signage.

When the pod starts its journey, its curved top half transforms into transparent panels to provide a panoramic view of the outside world. To learn more details, visit this link.

This is the third time a team from Delft University is entering the competition. The team won first place in 2017. This time 21 teams from around the globe are participating. Their aim is to hit the fastest speed on SpaceX’s fully enclosed 1.25km test track. Visit this link to learn more about the competition.

“At Delft Hyperloop we do not just focus on setting a new speed record at the SpaceX competition, but also on the long-term future of the Hyperloop,” the captain of the team said, according to GuernseyPress. “It is great to see people’s enthusiasm when they walk through the Hyperloop station and board one of the pods.”

The team has named its concept the Delft Hyperloop III.

Another team set to make its mark is returning champion TUM Hyperloop from the Technical University of Munich. This team aims to hit a speed of 372 mph with its upgraded pod. TUM has been participating since the first tournament in 2015. Last year the team broke the record of 240 mph set by Virgin Hyperloop with a 290 mph run.

“This year we plan to reach at least half the speed of sound, over 600 kilometers per hour (372 mph),” TUM Hyperloop Team Manager Toni Jukic said in a press release.

The competition requires participants to showcase upgrades and revisions to past pod designs. This is what TUM did. Their new pod, called the Pod IV, is about 1.7 meters (5.57 feet) long, and 50 cm (19.6 inches) wide. TUM’s pod weighs about 70 kg and is about 8 kg lighter than the Pod III.

Last year Dutch architecture firm UNStudio unveiled its design for a modular station that will be the center of the new European hyperloop system. UNStudio’s proposed hyperloop station prototype is for a line that willconnect Amsterdam and Frankfurt in just 51 minutes. Currently it takes about 4 hours to travel between the two cities, who are about 280 miles (450 kilometers) apart.

UNStudio’s design for the hyperloop station was showcased at HyperSummit, an event to celebrate the possibility of a European hyperloop network. The design uses a modular system which can expand or contract, making it suitable for both main hubs and regional outposts.

“A sustainable alternative to air travel is therefore imperative. Just as each Hyperloop line will draw power from solar panels on the tube, each Hyperloop Hub must also act as a battery to sustain itself,” the Dutch firm said.

The design firm uses large, glass ceilings which not only allow sunlight to illuminate the space but also act as a canopy. Any extra energy generated can be used to power the vehicles, buses and bikes of those who continue their journey on another form of electric transportation. The design firm has also separated different areas, such as green, culture, work, health and travel sections, to meet the needs of travelers.

In his paper in 2012, Elon Musk referred to the hyperloop system as “a cross between Concorde, a rail gun and an air hockey table.” The concept of hyperloop is that it features a long tube with air removed to create a vacuum. Then low pressure is created within the tube using passive magnetic levitation to keep the pod floating above the track and traveling at ultra-fast speed.

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