Do you remember Hyperloop? In 2013, when Elon Musk presented his famous 57-page white paper (this) for a project of rapid transport in vacuum tubes, it seemed like science fiction. Between disastrous failures e sensational relaunches, however, for 11 years several organizations and companies have been trying to make it happen. Today, a team of researchers from theEPFL in Switzerland has shown that vision is becoming a reality, setting a new world record for the distance traveled by a capsule in a vacuum environment. Let's take a look together?
Hyperloop, the return of the King of fast transport
Many had taken for granted the failure of this ambitious transport project. In recent years, news about hyperloops had drastically reduced, fueling the skepticism of experts. Sometimes, however, the most revolutionary projects need time to mature. The system, you know, involves levitating capsules in depressurized tubes, and promises to reach speeds up to 1.200 kilometers per hour. A prospect that continues to fascinate researchers and investors around the world. And even after periods of apparent stagnation, it can make significant progress when we least expect it. Never write off the ideas of a guy who catches missiles with two sticks, even if they're huge, as dead.
A record that makes history
Il project LIMITLESS ofEPFL (a rather laborious acronym that stands for “Linear Iinduction Motor Driyou for Treason and Lelife in Susable hyperloop Ssystems”) has achieved something extraordinary: the longest run ever made by a capsule in a vacuum environment.
The capsule traveled 11,8 kilometers in a tube 40 centimeters in diameter, reaching a speed of 40,7 kilometers per hour.
These numbers may not seem impressive, but consider that it is a 1:12 scale model. When scaled to full size, this equates to a distance of 141,6 kilometers at a speed of 488,2 kilometers per hour.
The race for speed
The speed record for hyperloops still belongs to China. The China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) has recently reached 623 kilometers per hour in a short test. But the distance covered in the Swiss test represents an even more significant milestone.
The real challenge, in fact, is not so much reaching high speeds for short distances, but maintaining them over long distances. In this sense, the test of theEPFL represents a fundamental step forward.
Anything but failure
Who was talking about the failure of the project? hyperloops will have to think again. The Swiss team conducted as many as 82 tests, operating at a pressure of only 50 millibars. These numbers demonstrate a consistency and methodicalness that goes far beyond the 'catwalks' and sensational announcements. Magnetic levitation technology in a vacuum environment is proving to be more than just a futuristic vision, that's the truth. It is a real possibility for the transportation of the future.
Of course, there is still much work to be done. Scaling such a system to full size presents enormous challenges, both technical and economic. The construction of large vacuum tubes, maintaining the vacuum, and passenger safety are just some of the issues that need to be solved.
But the success of the LIMITLESS tests shows that these challenges are not insurmountable. As the team of theEPFL: “Each test brings us a little closer to realizing this revolutionary technology.”
The future of fast transport
The prospect of being able to travel from Milan to Rome in less than an hour, or from Paris to London in half an hour, could be a reality. I like to think that we are witnessing the birth of a new era of transport. A technology that could radically change the way we travel, work and live.
The journey will still be long, but every small step forward, like the one taken in Switzerland, brings us closer to this future. Perhaps this is precisely the destiny of hyperloops: not an immediate and spectacular success, but a slow and constant evolution towards its realization.
The history of innovation teaches us that great revolutions require time, perseverance and the ability to overcome apparent failures. hyperloops is following exactly this path, and the results are starting to prove right those who never stopped believing in it.
