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The Hyperloop, detailed by the SpaceX and Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk in a 57-page alpha white paper in August 2013, is a transportation network of above-ground tubes that could span hundreds of miles. With extremely low air pressure inside those tubes, capsules filled with people would zip through them at near supersonic speeds. Musk published the paper encouraging anyone interested to pursue the idea, since he's kinda a busy guy.
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies announced today that it has signed agreements to work with Oerlikon Leybold Vacuum and global engineering design firm Aecom. The two companies will lend their expertise in exchange for stock options in the company, joining the army of engineers from the likes of Boeing and SpaceX already lending their time to the effort.
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The startup plans to start construction on a full-scale, passenger-ready Hyperloop in 2016. The prototype will run 5 miles through Quay Valley, a planned community rising from nothing along Interstate 5, midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Ahlborn says he's got several potential investors.
The hyperloop would certainly redefine the concept of commuting.
Related: SpaceX will hold a Hyperloop Pod Competition in 2016.
Original Submission
(Score: 3, Interesting) by bob_super on Friday August 21 2015, @01:06AM
> With extremely low air pressure [in the surrounding environment], capsules filled with people would zip through them at near supersonic speeds.
If only anyone had invented such tech before, and installed infrastructure to allow slowdown of the capsules near their destination or at various points of their trip to enable an appropriate level of safety and population coverage... Will Elon's capsules include uncomfortable seats, smelly neighbors, luggage limits, and the TSA?
Don't get me wrong, I can't wait for the US to realize that high-speed rail is the answer to a lot of problems. But anything that runs on its own exotic tech has two major flaws: rerouting is impossible when sh*t happens, and you can't get adoption until every last mile is built, because you can't hop unto existing infrastructure to complete the trip.