Scots students get Hyper over new 700mph transport system
STUDENTS in Scotland are working on plans to develop a revolutionary form of transport which could cut journey times to London to half an hour.
Five hundred people at four universities are working on the Hyperloop project, which would see passengers travel at up to 700 mph in pressurised “pods” along a frictionless vacuum tube.
The transport could cut journey times from Glasgow and Edinburgh to London to just 30 or 40 minutes.
Teams at Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt, Glasgow and Strathclyde universities are working on the technology, which has been championed by Elon Musk and Sir Richard Branson. They are among 52 teams to have reached the design stage of Musk’s latest SpaceX Hyperloop pod contest, from among some 1,300 entries.
Students involved said they were attracted by the chance to get involved in a major project while still at university. They include engineers, computer scientists, physicists and product designers.
Quentin Pletinckx, studying electronic and electrical engineering at Strathclyde University and president of its StrathLoop group, said: “It offers us the space to play our part in improving society without having to wait for graduation.”
Heriot-Watt’s HYPED, the largest and most established group with 280 members after its launch in 2015, said: “Students are driven by innovation and the opportunity to do something inspiring and unique.”
However, the groups differ in when they think the first passengers will start using Hyperloop. Glasgow Hyperloop thinks it could be 2025, but HYPED does not expect the UK to see it until around 2040.
HYPED secretary Hamish Geddes said: “There are valid concerns regarding safety and feasibility of the Hyperloop concept. However, at this stage to be conclusive would be naive.”
Matthew Iddon, commercial director of Glasgow Hyperloop, said: “We want to be able to reach speeds that will get people from Glasgow to London faster than doing two circuits on the Glasgow Subway. Anybody who is sceptical can be assured it will be safer than modern trains.”
StrathLoop is developing every aspect of the technology, including designing a range of pods such as a premium loungestyle space.
Elsa Larsson, its propulsion systems sub-team leader, said: “Our task is to make the pod move, and we want to move it fast. For this, we are using spinning magnets.” He said the revolutionary technique would also make the pod levitate.
The Institution of Civil Engineers chose HYPED’s work to feature among 200 projects to c el ebr at e its 200th anniversary.