Innovation: NASA’s new monorail

SkyTran’s NASA-designed magnetic monorail soars high above inner-city congestion

You hear these things are awfully loud? No, SkyTran glides as softly as a cloud!

COSTING JUST $10 MILLION PER km to construct, this Tomorrow’s World taxi rank is actually a damn sight cheaper than you might expect. Developed in the US by NASA engineers for eventual installation in Tel Aviv, the SkyTran functions just like a mini-cab service – albeit one that hovers above the streets on magnets.

Pods will reach speeds of up to 240km/h thanks to MagLev tech (magnetic levitation) with each vehicle’s integrated magnet syncing with the monorail coils to create a field. It’s this, rather than mechanics, that holds them in place, meaning no travel-slowing friction.

Each pod holds a maximum of six passengers and can be summoned to a chosen station using an app. Set your destination and time of departure, hop aboard, and let SkyTran whisk you away. There’s even an on-board TV to distract you from the speed and rather long drop below.

Thinking this sounds a bit science fiction? SkyTran assures us it will be science fact by late next year, with a 488m test loop planned to shuttle passengers a tentative 72km/h across the Israel Aerospace Industry campus. If successful, it shifts to Israel’s financial centre and the speed triples. Scream if you wanna commute faster… skytran.us, out 2016