CMU Students Trying To Create Pod Capable Of Traveling Faster Than Airplanes
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Imagine a way to travel across the country faster than an airplane.
Some Carnegie Mellon students are leaving for a competition this weekend in California aimed at making that a reality.
CMU's Hyperloop team is one of a few dozen remaining teams competing in the SpaceX competition to create a pod that will travel at high speeds from city to city inside a tube.
It's kind of like the tubes at a bank drive-thru. Only these pods will be big enough to fit people inside, and CMU's is propelled with powerful magnets.
CMU student Ben Martin says it's kind of like the tube is a giant air hockey table that allows the pod to float inside without friction.
"It's going to be incredibly exciting," said Martin. "These pods are going to go so fast."
"We're using an electric coil and as the pod gets closer to the coil, all of sudden, it will just speed rocket out of there," said CMU student Lauren D'Souza.
Last February, the 55-member CMU Hyperloop team had built a prototype pod that floated on a table.
But the pod they'll be testing this weekend is much larger. Eventually, pods might be big enough to fit at least 14 people.
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They'll test the pod a mile-long track, and judges will look at speeds reached and braking ability, among other things.
Tesla founder Elon Musk created the contest after he got stuck in a traffic jam and thought there must be a better way.
"What really excites us about this, is the potential where you could live in Pittsburgh but work in New York City based on how fast these pods can go," said Martin. "You don't have to live and work in the same place."
A trip from Pittsburgh to New York would be a half-hour. You could also get to Chicago in a half-hour. And a trip to California might take three hours.
"We'll be able to go across the country for weekend trips," said D'Souza.
"It has the potential to revolutionize absolutely everything about how we transport," said Martin.
The competition is Sunday, and after the team returns, they'll reveal the pod locally on Feb. 12 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
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