Two international university teams clinched top honors for the first test phase of Elon Musk’s Hyperloop competition that ran this weekend.
The Delft Hyperloop team, of Delft University in the Netherlands, got the highest overall score. Technical University of Munich, Germany secured the award for the fastest pod. And MIT placed third overall in the competition, which was judged by SpaceX engineers.
Although teams have been participating in the SpaceX Hyperloop competition since 2015, this weekend marked the first time qualifiers got the opportunity to test their Hyperloop pod on the mile-long SpaceX track. In 2016, SpaceX selected 30 teams to participate this weekend after passing through the design phase of the competition.
However, only three teams were actually able to run their pods on the SpaceX Hyperloop track. Teams had to first pass a series of tests to be eligible for a run, ranging from a structural test to a vacuum chamber test, and only three university teams made the cut: MIT, Delft University, and Technical University.
MIT and Delft University were the teams to beat going into the competition. MIT secured the Best Overall Design Award during the design phase of the competition in February 2016. Delft University had previously won the Pod Innovation Award.
First ever vacuum tube Hyperloop run: watch the wheel #MITHyperloop @SpaceX @hyperloop #maglevworks pic.twitter.com/0TXlOT7bk6
— MIT Hyperloop (@MITHyperloop) January 30, 2017
The final phase of the competition will occur over the summer, but an exact date hasn't been chosen yet. Teams that weren't eligible to run their pods this weekend can still attend if they make necessary changes based on the different test results.
Here's a list of all the awards:
- Delft University: Highest Overall Score; Design and Construction Award Technical University of Munich (WARR Hyperloop): Fastest Pod Award MIT: Safety and Reliability Award University of Maryland (UMD Loop): Performance and Operatons Award University of Wisconsin-Madison (Team Badgerloop): Pod Innovation Award rLoop (the only team unaffiliated with a school): Pod Innovation Award