What competition?
The Cal Poly Hyperloop Team formed in Spring of 2018 and was selected to compete in the 2019 SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition. In this global competition, 22 teams were selected to take their fully constructed Hyperloop pods to SpaceX Headquarters in Hawthorne, California and compete for top speed.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition has been on hiatus. While no competition is taking place this year, Cal Poly Hyperloop has been hard at work developing and testing cutting edge technologies like linear induction motors in order to propel the pod to great speed.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition has been on hiatus. While no competition is taking place this year, Cal Poly Hyperloop has been hard at work developing and testing cutting edge technologies like linear induction motors in order to propel the pod to great speed.
Our Pod - 2021
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Propulsion
The pod this year is propelled by an in-house manufactured linear induction motor. The linear motor creates a three-phase signal that induces an opposing magnetic field on the track, which subsequently accelerates the pod along the track at high speeds. This system both works as propulsion and braking depending on the orientation of the three-phase signal produced. |
Chassis
The chassis has been redesigned from the ground up to be as modular as possible in order to quickly modify the chassis through design iterations. |
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Controls
The brain of the pod, the controls team, has created a SpaceX inspired GUI that sleekly communicates information from all sensors on the pod to the members of the team. |
Electronics
The electronics team supplies power to all subsystems in order for the pod to work. The power system is split into two portions: high power for the linear induction motor, and low power for the controls and braking system. |
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Transportation
The transportation team works in tandem with the chassis team by using a series of wheels and cantilevers running against the track to ensure that the pod runs smoothly. |
Braking
Like the previous pod design, the braking system is designed as a failsafe mechanism, and has been outfitted with a power off feature. In the event of a propulsion or power failure, the brakes automatically deploy, preventing serious damage to the pod or track. |
Our Pod - 2019
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Propulsion
The pod is propelled with a direct drive system of drive wheels connected to brushless DC outrunner motors. The motors are tensioned into the I-beam centered in the Hyperloop tube with a pneumatic active tensioner. |
Power
Power is supplied to the propulsion system by three independent Li-Fe battery packs. All non-propulsion power requirements will run off a 12V battery. |
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Braking
Our frictional braking system activates through a simple mechanism and is precisely controlled with a pneumatic pressure system. This system is designed to be an absolute failsafe, as the pod is quickly stopped in the event of any disruption in normal pod operation. |
Chassis
In order to keep manufacturing and maintenance as simple as possible, every component is bolt-on. The unibody chassis not only provides a uniform mounting surface for the required pod components, but allows cargo and people to be easily incorporated into a scaled hyperloop pod. |
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Transportation
Roll motion is minimized by four support wheels flanking the chassis. Pitch is maintained by a series of casters that sandwich the rail. Yaw motion is minimized by the active tensioner and can be manipulated to account for curves in the track. |
Controls
The control system monitors an array of sensor values to ensure dependable system operation. The propulsion system and pneumatics are always managed by the control system during pod operation. A Raspberry Pi manages decision making with peripheral MCUs. |