SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Challenge

Hyperloop Pod Team at UC Davis, Davis, CA, USA

ID: VMU7

Relevant Skills: mechanical design

The Hyperloop Pod Team at UC Davis aims to compete in the 2016 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod challenge; the purpose of this senior design project will be to design and fabricate every component of a chassis subsystem for this high speed transport pod. This chassis must support several subsystems of the pod such as air levitation, braking, navigation, and an exterior shell which should total to 130 kg. A transport pod is a conceptual object which must levitate along a track via air bearings at speeds peaking at 250 mph and easily exceeding 2.4 g’s. Design goals will focus on developing a proof of concept prototype that is stable and safe, yet deft and lightweight. Hyperloop was only proposed in mid-2013, meaning a transport pod design is a novel concept which will explore new grounds in the realm of transportation technology.