Hasta La Gadget!

When it was unveiled a few weeks ago, Elon Musk’s Hyperloop project sounded almost too good to be true. Dr. Marco Villa, former director of mission operations at SpaceX, was among those who didn’t get the memo from the naysayers, as he’s just joined a team set on elevating Hyperloop from fantasy to reality. The crowd-sourced startup platform JumpStartFund enabled the group’s formation after the Hyperloop plans were posted there in August; since then, a handful of talented individuals, led by Villa, received permission from Musk to work on developing the project. Joining Villa on the mission to make your high-speed travel dreams a reality is Dr. Patricia Galloway, who once served as president of the American Society of Civil Engineers (and was, notably, the first woman to hold that title). While the rail line is still a long way away from fruition, Villa seems optimistic, stating, “There does not seem to be any technical issues on this project that we can’t solve, even if we do not know right away, we will figure it out.”

Filed under: Transportation

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Via: The Verge

Source: JumpStartFund

This video shows you probably the closest we’ll ever get to seeing a physical representation of the Hyperloop. It is a 3D scale model made by a nascent company called WhiteClouds and it showcases the teams 3D modeling prowess and, more wistfully, shows what the Hyperloop could be.

The Odgen-based team printed the model on three different printers using three different materials. They added a bit of color to the seats, smoothed them out, and now are the proud owners of a small, non-working model of the Hyperloop suitable for children’s parties and futuristic stop motion animations. Now if they could just 3D print these things full-sized using aluminum tubing and billions of dollars of right-of-way land grants then I think they’d really be in business. Regardless, it’s a noble effort.

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As enamored as you are with the idea, your gut says that Elon Musk’s Hyperloop is never going to happen. The good news is that the tech, according to experts we’ve talked to, is actually feasible. That bad news? That might not matter. Musk’s plan is futuristic, beautiful, and sound. It just might be more ambitious than the problem he’s is trying to solve.

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Elon Musk, a California billionaire, finally removed the wraps surrounding his vision of the future – which will obviously involve the “Hyperloop” transport system. The Hyperloop transport system will theoretically rely on a solar-powered network of crash-proof capsules which is capable of allowing folks to commute between San Francisco and Los Angeles in just half an hour. Just in case Elon Musk sounds familiar to you, that is because he is the chief executive of electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors Inc., and with his Hyperloop transport system, should it be successful, would definitely change the way intercity transportation is done. Unfortunately, two “Goliaths” that come up against this idea would be safety and financing.

It is said to cost anywhere around $6 billion, while the construction time will take approximately 7 to 10 years. It is hoped that should it be successful, the Hyperloop transport system will be able to transport approximately 7 million people annually along one of the U.S. West Coast’s busiest traffic corridors. It is said that up to 28 passengers can ride in each pod, and the system is also good for transporting vehicles. If you were a California native, would you wish Elon Musk every success in his quest to deliver a more efficient public transport system?

Hyperloop Transport System Unveiled By Elon Musk original content from Ubergizmo.