On January 29-30, 2016 SpaceX hosted Hyperloop Pod Competition Design at Texas A&M University. Four Computer Engineering Department students took part in the competition as part of the combined Rutgers/MaryIand (RUMD Loop Team). Michael Feinstein (Senior), Shreyas Hirday (Junior, team leader), Cedric Blake (Junior), Dominic Ok (Junior) helped design a robust, efficient design for a pod to be used in a Hyperloop tube, a low pressure tube that transports people at very high speeds, up to 215 mph. Specifically, they handled designing the computer systems and software for the pod. In November 2016 RUMD Loop Team was one of the 115 teams that has progressed from the preliminary design round into the final design round. We are pleased to say that RUMD Loop Team as one of 22 teams has now advanced to the Build round of the competition and is heading to California this summer to test their design prototype at the world’s first Hyperloop Test Track.
In 2013, Elon Musk co-founder of SpaceX and Tesla Motors proposed the Hyperloop, a high-speed ground transport concept. Based on this concept student teams were asked to designs the Hyperloop system that meets and exceeds the requirements of SpaceX. The goal was to create a pod that efficiently and robustly can operate in the Hyperloop Tube. The system itself is a super speedy transport system that beats modern-ground based transport by long. All teams designed an optimal pod with a braking system, levitation system, propulsion system, communications system, and battery system to compete in this competition. Overall pod designs were judged based on innovation and uniqueness of design, full Hyperloop system applicability, level of design detail, strength of supporting analysis and tests, and feasibility for test track competition.
Congratulations to Michael Feinstein, Shreyas Hirday, Cedric Blake, and Dominic Ok.
More information about RUMD Loop Team at http://rumdloop.com/
More information about Hyperloop SpaceX Competition at http://hyperloop.tamu.edu/