Ryerson engineering students present Hyperloop tech in Space X competition

Ryerson University aerospace engineering students presented their tech at a Space X competition in Hawthorne, California this past weekend.

The Toronto-based Ryerson International Hyperloop Team (RIHT) was one of 27 students groups across the world that took part in the Hyperloop Pod Competition. The three-day event concluded on January 29th.

Last January, RIHT received the “Subsystem Innovation Award” at the Hyperloop Pod Competition Design Weekend in Texas. RIHT was the only Canadian team to win an award. The group is made up of seven active graduate student team members and five industry and academic advisors. Overall, they’ve received $200,000 in financial support from 20 sponsors.

The Hyperloop is a high-speed tube-based transit system conceptualized by Space X and Tesla founder, Elon Musk. The proposed tech would consist of two giant tubes connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles, allowing for pods to be transported at speeds of over 1100 kilometres per hour.

The purpose of the competition, which is the first of its kind in the world, is to help accelerate the development of Hyperloop prototypes by getting university students involved in the process.

For its contribution, RIHT demonstrated a wheel-deployment system which would act as a safety precaution if the Hyperloop pod’s magnetic levitation or air bearings fail.

Teams that participated, as well as new entrants, are invited to attend the next competition, which is set to take place this summer.

RIHT is one of many Canadian groups working with Hyperloop tech, including University of Waterloo students and Toronto-based startup Transpod.

Sources: Ryerson University, Space X