IIT Madras Students Show Hyperloop Prototype That Could Revolutionise Travel

A team of students from Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M) have created a hyperloop prototype. Their project, 'Avishkar Hyperloop,' could change the way movement is perceived.

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What is hyperloop?

The hyperloop concept gained momentum in popular culture after Elon Musk popularised it. The idea of this high-speed transportation system was picked up by Musk and the SpaceX team who described it as a transportation project with capsules supported by air-bearings in low-pressure environment inside a tube.

The tube is a large, sealed low-pressure system usually comprised of a long tunnel. Musk first teased hyperloop in 2012, calling it a "fifth mode of transport." The passenger pod of a hyperloop would travel in a vacuum tube, with speeds so incredible that a 350 km journey could be accomplished in 30 minutes.

Also read: IIT Madras, Indian Railways Partner To Develop India's First Indigenous Hyperloop

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India's Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, lauded the team's efforts on X (formerly Twitter). "Congratulations! Interesting. Wishing you all success in your future endeavours too," she wrote.

Congratulations! Interesting. Wishing you all success in your future endeavours too. https://t.co/4vuSW8tUWt

¡ª Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) September 26, 2023

Also read: Virgin Hyperloop Marks Its Place In History, Transports Passengers Successfully For The First Time

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The Avishkar Hyperloop prototype was realised by a team of 50 students - undergraduates and doctoral candidates at IIT-M. Last year, the Ministry of Railways gave a Rs. 8.34 crore grant to the hyperloop project after IIT-M presented a proposal that pitching India's indigenous hyperloop system.

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