The final of the international Hyperloop competition will take place in California at the end of August. A team of students from the University of Oldenburg and Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences is also in the race for the fastest vehicle for the means of transport of the future.
Only recently, the "HyperPodX" team successfully presented its concept for a transport capsule, the Hyperpod, to a team of experts. The students, most of whom come from the international Engineering Physics degree programme, are competing against 24 other teams from all over the world. The idea behind Hyperloop is to use levitation technology and low air resistance to accelerate a type of train in a tube to speeds of up to 1,200 kilometres per hour - and thus be able to transport people in the most environmentally friendly way possible in the future.
The team and its supervisors, Prof Dr Walter Neu and Prof Dr Thomas Schüning, presented their work at a meeting at the Presidential Board of the University of Oldenburg on Wednesday. New successes have already been achieved: the original group of 22 students has grown to 50 members. As the schedule until August is tight, the team has been working almost around the clock for a good week now. This is because the budding engineers now have to actually build their vehicle for the competition - and raise a good 400,000 euros in sponsorship. This leaves little time for normal university life, says team member Adrian Rose.
Prof Dr Martin Holthaus, Vice President for Research and Transfer at the University of Oldenburg, is visibly impressed by the students' commitment: The HyperPodX team's Hyperloop project is an "exciting example of interdisciplinary, practical and future-orientated education". The team members not only have to familiarise themselves with the latest technology, but also think their way into organisational and economic contexts. "Anyone who has taken part in a project like this during their studies will be ideally equipped for the challenges of the future," emphasises the physicist, who wishes the team good luck and success for the competition in California.
"I am sure that the international team will represent the North-West region appropriately in this academic competition at a national and international level. This competition is a prime example of participatory research and internationality," adds Stephan Albani, Member of the German Bundestag, who supports the project as patron. The Oldenburg University Society is also supporting the young engineers with 1,000 euros so that they can attract sponsors and draw attention to their project.
