Waterloop is the clever name for the Hyperloop Pod Competition team from the University of Waterloo. The group is one of the 31 finalists, and the only remaining Canadian team, readying to compete in Hawthorne, California at SpaceX in January 2017. The team is currently running a Kickstarter campaign to fund Goose I, their prototype entry for the competition. The money will be used for components, prototype manufacturing, test track construction, marketing, and funding for the competition.
The campaign page plays up Hyperloop’s potential benefits to Canada, with a focus on the 450 kilometer trip from Montreal to Toronto. Instead of the automotive or aerospace options currently available a Hyperloop transport could have users from one location to the other in thirty minutes. The team says that a tube track could be mounted on raised concrete pylons, needing a small footprint and minimizing the cost of land rights. The pod could also incorporate solar panels in its design and run completely on its own electricity, possibly even supplying energy back into the grid. Current estimates are a speed of 550 kilometers per hour as a top speed and a 250 kilogram weight for the pod.
Full assemblies and components have been designed in CAD, and several of the major systems are discussed on the campaign page. The frame, levitation controls, braking systems, drivetrain, lateral wheel controls, electrical system, and embedded controllers are all touched on in a run down of the full pod prototype and its components. The shell itself is a highlight, both for its striking shape that makes the pod stand out visually, and the diagrid frame that ‘is designed to accept the applied forces better than a standard rectilinear frame.’ The team notes that the style has historically been difficult to build, but says that laser cutting and 3D printing should make for easier construction.
Waterloop looks to be a solid start to a well planned project. A progress blurb on the website says that the eddy current braking system, the test track, the frame, and the levitation system are all constructed. Assembly, optimization and debugging will take place in the three months between now and the competition. The campaign ends on November 18, 2016.