Hyperloop Pod Hovers for the First Time

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University of Cincinnati's Hyperloop pod prototype
(Image credit: Jay Yocis/University of Cincinnati)

One small hover for man, one giant levitation for mankind. It was only a quarter of an inch, but a team from the University of Cincinnati got their sizable Hyperloop pod prototype to hover above the tracks in front of a cheering crowd.

The interdisciplinary UC Hyperloop team, led by aerospace engineering graduate student Dhaval Shiyani, wants their pod to one day carry passengers from Cincinnati to Chicago in a mere 30 minutes. Their modular prototype calls for separate passenger and engine areas. According to their description, the pod is outfitted with Arx Pax hover engines.

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UC's team definitely took that to heart. Their 14-foot-long prototype Hyperloop pod achieved magnetic levitation during a demo last week. Other big challenges remain for this transportation system beyond levitation — including some that may stymie even the brightest researchers — but seeing a pod prototype hover for real is exciting.

Earlier this year, more than 100 student teams competed in the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition at Texas A&M University for a chance to turn their concepts into real prototypes. The UC Hyperloop pod is among 30 picked to head to a test track at SpaceX headquarters in early 2017.

Team captain Shiyani told the university he's proud of their design. "We are confident that we will be a force to reckon with come January," he said. Watch their pod get some air here:

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Originally published on Discovery News.

Alyssa Danigelis
Discovery News