Indian Institute of Technology Madras Students’ Team Avishkar Hyperloop has received investment from global pure-play engineering services provider L&T Technology Services Limited (LTTS) to develop innovations in the Hyperloop landscape. LTTS is providing funding and technical support to Team Avishkar for their Hyperloop project.
LTTS will enable Team Avishkar to further gain traction on its breakthrough disruptions in the emerging domain of Hyperloop-based transportation solutions for futuristic commuting experience.
The Hyperloop model proposed by Team Avishkar can achieve a top speed of over 1,200 kilometers per hour. It is completely autonomous, safe, and clean. The team is spearheading Hyperloop Tube research in India and has already patented a novel and cost-effective tube design.
Hyperloop has been a buzzword in India for the last few years. Several companies have proposed routes including Mumbai-Pune and Chandigarh-Amritsar.
Commenting on this project, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “The vacuum tube, when developed, will be the first of its kind in academia anywhere globally and would be on par with the test facility of the commercial entity, Virgin Hyperloop One in the U.S.A. As such, ours would be the only one of its kind available in public, which we intend to utilize to organize international Hyperloop competitions.”
Further, Prof. Kamakoti said, “This facility of ours will allow us to seize the global leadership on Hyperloop technologies so that we can set standards in this emerging new field.”
Avishkar Hyperloop is a student team from the Centre for Innovation, IIT Madras, focusing on revolutionizing transportation with Hyperloop technologies. It is a 70-member strong interdisciplinary team, drawing members from 11 different academic disciplines.
Highlighting the impact this support will have, Prof. Mahesh Panchagnula, Dean (Alumni and Corporate Relations), IIT Madras, said, “CSR funds invested in developing sustainable technology solutions is the only way to be ready for tomorrow’s challenges. We are excited that LTTS has chosen this route.”
Team Avishkar is aiming to build the world’s largest student-developed Hyperloop testing facility at IIT Madras and is hoping to complete the construction of this 500-meter-long Hyperloop facility by this year. This facility will be constructed at Discovery Campus, the Satellite campus of IIT Madras located about 35 km from the main campus.
This open-access and world-leading testbed will accelerate the development of novel Hyperloop technologies and make India a global center for Hyperloop development.
Speaking about this Project, Mr. Amit Chadha, CEO and Managing Director, L&T Technology Services Limited, said, “The future of everyday commuting will be determined by the innovations and disruptions that we as a human race pursue today. LTTS, with its focus on ER&D and digital engineering, is committed to pushing the boundaries of modern transportation. As an engineering organization, we always look forward to rendering support on R&D activities for upcoming technologies.”
Further Mr. Amit Chadha said, “We are offering our technical guidance across multiple facets of engineering to the students involved in this important project. Through our association with IIT Madras, LTTS’ endeavor is to provide adequate support and encouragement to the student community and collectively work towards the betterment of all.”
The Avishkar Hyperloop Team is implementing a scalable levitation mechanism on its Hyperloop pod, pushing the ‘LIM mechanism for contactless propulsion’ to its limits, and is also implementing upgraded power and control systems. Moreover, the team is also aiming to devise novel guidance systems and regenerative braking at a lab scale.
Avishkar Hyperloop won significant laurels in the European Hyperloop Week, held in Valencia, Spain, in 2021. Despite taking part virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the students performed well. More recently, the students have also manufactured a Hyperloop Pod Prototype and tested this novel technology.
Avishkar Hyperloop is working with a vision to develop technologies for future modes of high-speed transportation with applications in various fields including Defence, Logistics, and Aerospace Industry, among others.
Hyperloop is the 5th mode of transportation, a high-speed train that travels in a near-vacuum tube. The reduced air resistance allows the capsule inside the tube to reach speeds of more than 1000 km/h. Mr. Elon Musk proposed the idea of the Hyperloop to the world in 2013 through a whitepaper – ‘Hyperloop Alpha.’
ABOUT L&T TECHNOLOGY SERVICES LTD
L&T Technology Services Limited (LTTS) is a listed subsidiary of Larsen & Toubro Limited focused on Engineering and R&D (ER&D) services. We offer consultancy, design, development, and testing services across the product and process development life cycle. Our customer base includes 69 Fortune 500 companies and 57 of the world’s top ER&D companies, across industrial products, medical devices, transportation, telecom & hi-tech, and the process industries. Headquartered in India, we have over 20,800 employees spread across 17 global design centers, 28 global sales offices, and 89 innovation labs as of March 31, 2022. For more information, please visit https://www.ltts.com/
Original News Link
https://www.iitm.ac.in/happenings/press-releases-and-coverages/iit-madras-avishkar-team-gets-funding-technical-support-lt
