Feature

Test & measurement tools help students to get ready for SpaceX competition

Here’s a challenge: build your own Hyperloop pod prototype and test it at Elon Musk’s SpaceX headquarters in California. Who said engineering can’t be fun?

05/11/2018 14:05:45

Engineering students from the University of Edinburgh who were accepted to participate in the exciting SpaceX Hyperloop Pod competition used thermal imaging and measurement technology from FLIR to make sure their prototype was ready for the race.

Travelling from city to city at 700mph in an underground vacuum tube seems futuristic to some of us, but not to entrepreneur Elon Musk. The forward-thinking CEO of Tesla and SpaceX sees this as the next step in mass transportation technology. Hyperloop is Musk’s concept of electrically propelled pods travelling autonomously through a near-vacuum tube. The pods will be able to reach speeds comparable to aircraft and could see a journey such as Edinburgh to London shortened to 50 minutes.

A yearly competition draws many engineering teams from around the world to the SpaceX headquarters in California. There, SpaceX challenges the teams to develop their own Hyperloop pod prototype and test it in a mile-long vacuum tube.

Read the full article in the November issue of DPA

Written By Sophia Bell

Sophia Bell is the Group Editor of DPA, Connectivity, and PBSI. She joined the team in 2020 as Assistant Editor after achieving a First-Class Honours BA in English Literature and Film Studies from the University of East Anglia. In her current role, she leads the editorial strategy, driving digital growth and ensuring each title continues to deliver trusted, relevant insight for engineering and manufacturing professionals.