The Avishkar team of the Indian Institute of Technology Madras that is building hyperloop has received funding from L&T Technology Services (LTTS) to carry forward its project.
Hyperloop is a high-speed train that travels in a near-vacuum tube. Tesla’s promoter Elon Musk had proposed the idea in 2013. The interdisciplinary student team has 70 members from 11 academic disciplines and is spearheading hyperloop tube research in the country and has patented a novel, cost-effective tube design. The model the team has proposed can achieve a top speed of over 1,200 km an hour.
Institute director V. Kamakoti said when developed, the vacuum tube would be the first of its kind in academia globally, on a par with the test facility of the commercial entity, Virgin Hyperloop One in the U.S. “This facility of ours will allow us to seize global leadership on hyperloop technologies so that we can set standards in the emerging new field,” he said.
The team is aiming to build a 500m hyperloop testing facility by year-end on the institute’s campus.
LTTS chief executive officer Amit Chadha said the company was offering technical guidance across multiple facets of engineering to the students.
Avishkar team has manufactured a hyperloop pod prototype and tested the technology. Its vision is to develop future modes of high-speed transportation with applications in defence, logistics and aerospace industry.
