“Safety is one of the most important aspects of our system,” Dirk Ahlborn, CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technology, said. The company plans to construct its capsule from dual layers of its smart material so that even if the outside of the capsule is damaged it can continue to operate safely.
On Tuesday, HTT unveiled smart material called Vibranium which is something very special material. It’s a “smart”, plugged-in and innervated with thousands of sensors designed to transmit diagnostic information wirelessly, relaying real-time data on temperature, damage, structural integrity, etc. to craft the capsules for the tubular transit system. The advantage of keeping the Vibranium material is that it is so feather light which will reduce the energy needed to propel the capsules across long distances.
According to HTT, Vibranium material is eight times stronger than aluminum and ten times stronger than any steel alternative and roughly 1.5 times less than aluminum and five times less than steel.
The idea for Hyperloop, the system by which passengers travel between cities at speeds of up to 700mph, was initially dreamed up by Elon Musk CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. HTT is one of two companies currently trying to bring Musk’s vision to life. The other, Hyperloop One, showed off its initial efforts at a working test track earlier this month in the Nevada desert.
Slowly but surely, Hyperloop Tech is piecing together its own competitor to Hyperloop One. In March, it revealed its propulsion system. Now it has a super-strong, super-mart pod skin material.