Very surprising at how Hyperloop technology is fast becoming a reality. Here in Dubai what once seemed like science fiction is now becoming a serious possibility. What's facinating is that it could revolutionise our collective experience and mental maps of distance and space, where understanding of distance and proximity is warped.
A few weeks ago in Dubai, Richard Branson’s Virgin unveiled a prototype of the pods that will carry passengers at speeds of up to 760mph (1,200 kmh) when it launches its Hyperloop service in Dubai. The public unveiling of the photographs of the concept pods give a first glimpse of the luxurious conditions inside these futuristic transport vehicles, which could be launched as soon as 2020. Dubai unveiled its first look at what travelling on a Hyperloop will really be like back in November 2016, in a series of concept images for the first commercial use of Elon Musk's radical transport system. Although Elon Musk is not involved in this venture he shares the same vision.
Dubai's Road Transport Authority (RTA), which wants 25 per cent of all journeys to be driverless by 2030, unveiled the hyperloop design at a ceremony in the city as part of its participation in the UAE's Innovation Month.
In a written statement, His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, director general of the RTA, said:
"When introduced in future, the hyperloop technology will impact the town planning and the availability of parking spaces. It will revolutionise people mobility between various destinations in the city, logistical hubs like airports and ports, and shipping patterns"
Here are some more quotes:
'With Hyperloop One we have given form to a mobility ecosystem of pods and portals, where the waiting hall has vanished along with waiting itself,' said Bjarke Ingels, founder of BIG.
'The momentum is global and accelerating,' adds Hyperloop One CEO Rob Lloyd.
Virgin's website confirms that, “a growing global economy requires faster, cheaper, safer and more efficient transportation modes. Our roads, airports, and ports are congested. We haven’t had a major new form of transport in 100 years, and we’re due for one, especially one that is ultra-fast, on-demand, direct, emission-free, energy efficient, quiet and has a smaller footprint than other high-speed transport modes. Hyperloop is additive to existing forms of transportation and will integrate seamlessly with the transport ecosystem.”
No doubt more new updates to come over the next few years, it’s going to make physical distances so much nearer – fantastic.