In addition to the “Tunneling” competition, which is to be held in Las Vegas in September, has the identified another problem area that needs to be addressed: Floating with the linear motor generates more heatthan simply going fast in the tube.

TheZurich team continues to rely on a linear induction motor instead of conventional rolling stock. "Through research on last year's pod, we realized that driving on wheels above a certain speed is our biggest limitation," explains Yvan Bosshard, project manager recently for an exchange of spread across Europe ideastraveling to Valencia The drive system no longer two-sided and symmetrical, but is now located above the track. "This means the motor is not only oriented forward, but also upward. This is how we achieve levitation," says Bosshard. And indeed: If you look closely when the motor starts, the pod makes a small jump and then hovers a few millimeters above the aluminum track.

Photos: EMPA

Since levitation presents numerous new challenges, speed has taken a back seat for the time being. "The speed will follow automatically once the levitation concept is fully developed," says Bosshard. Sensor technology, in particular, is now of greater importance. "We have to constantly monitor the vehicle's position and be able to correct it during the journey if necessary, and for this we are using far more sensors than in recent years," the engineer explains. Accordingly, the control technology has also become more complex; the potential for further research – and thus for the work of the next Swissloop team – has already been identified: "The motor gets very hot during levitation and would need to be actively cooled in the next prototype. With heat sensors, we can gather valuable information in the motor for further development."

Stephan Kälin / klk.

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