Sustainable speed
The pods – made from fiberglass and carbon fibres – will travel in near-vacuum tubes designed to magnetically levitate and glide down the track, without the slowing effects of friction.

The system is engineered to reduce aerodynamic drag and increase fuel efficiency, thus creating an environmentally friendlier alternative to other modes of transport.

According to Government statistics, transport produced almost a quarter of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2020. However, there is still increasing demand for faster, more efficient and affordable transport options, experts say.

HYPED
Edinburgh’s student team – HYPED – is part of an international movement working to bring Hyperloop technology closer to reality.

Following the construction of its first prototype pod in 2017, the team has grown into a thriving and diverse society of around 130 students from across the University.

It provides a testing ground for students to tackle the technical challenges of building a functioning Hyperloop pod from scratch, including this year’s entry which the team named ‘Pod Ness’.

International focus
This year HYPED hosted European Hyperloop Week – welcoming student teams from 24 countries including Norway, Switzerland, Spain, Holland, Turkey and India.

The annual gathering brings student engineers, computer scientists, physicists and project managers together to test, compete, network and share ideas and about Hyperloop.

Demos
Demonstration day saw the teams present their latest prototypes and test them on individually built tracks on the University’s King’s Buildings campus.

Awards were presented for the best pod and specific elements including: mechanics, traction, sensing, controls and electrical systems.

The week concluded with a public outreach day in the centre of Edinburgh where all the teams talked to visitors about the potential of Hyperloop and the benefits of studying STEM subjects.