IIT Madras Hosts Global Hyperloop Conference

CHENNAI : Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) organized a Global Hyperloop Conference on 20th and 21st April 2024 at its Research Park.

Titled ‘Parivahan’, the Conference aimed to introduce the futuristic concept of Hyperloop to India, providing a global platform for innovative teams. It showcased Hyperloop concepts worldwide, fostering a transformative spirit among young minds in the field of transportation.

Parivahan – The Global Hyperloop Conference (GHC) will mark India’s first-ever international conference on innovative transportation. The conference brought together leading companies, visionary speakers, and Hyperloop teams, who shared their vision of Hyperloop as a sustainable future transportation system.

Often referred to as the ‘fifth mode of transport’, Hyperloop is a high-speed transportation system for long-distance travel. It involves an electromagnetically levitating pod within a vacuum tube thus eliminating friction and air drag and potentially allowing the pod to reach speeds up to Mach 1.0.

This mode of transport will be marked by its immunity to weather, collision-free commute which can move at twice the speed of a plane, with low power consumption and energy storage for 24-hour operations. Overall the Hyperloop will be a sustainable mode of transportation.

Addressing the Inaugural Session on 20th April 2024 virtually, Chief Guest Ms. Jaya Varma Sinha, CEO, Ministry of Railways, Government of India, said, “From reducing travel time between cities to enhancing connectivity and unlocking economic opportunities, Hyperloop has the power to reshape our world in profound ways.”

Further, Ms. Jaya Varma Sinha added, “We must address concerns regarding safety, reliability, and environmental impact while also navigating legal and regulatory framework to handle the complexity of this revolutionary technology.”

Ms. Jaya Varma Sinha also announced the ‘Global Hyperloop Competition’ that will be organized by IIT Madras in January 2025. With the Institute constructing a 400m tube, the students have a vision to conduct a global competition to foster innovation, collaboration, and technological advancement on a worldwide scale. The Conference is a precursor to the Global Hyperloop Competition being planned by IIT Madras.

Further, Chief Guest Dr. Sridhar Vembu, CEO, Zoho Corporation, and a Distinguished Alumnus Awardee of IIT Madras, said, “Going to private markets could be a very good go to market strategy. Personalized transport systems for huge campuses of corporations and universities could be targeted.”

The conference hosted experts who have significantly contributed to the technological revolution. These leading experts shared their first-hand experiences, successes and challenges!

VISION

The vision of this Global Hyperloop Conference is to have remote cities seamlessly connected, providing the world with transportation that is both efficient and sustainable, characterized by high-speed connectivity while significantly reducing the negative impact on the environment. The Students and Researchers at IIT Madras are driven to provide an opportunity where like-minded individuals get to exchange their ideas, initiate collaborations and guide the teams who aspire to lead the future with their experience.

Addressing the Conference, Prof. V. Kamakoti, Director, IIT Madras, said, “IIT Madras believes that this journey is going to be a technically rewarding one, a commercially productive one and a globally useful one.”

Prof. S. R. Chakravarthy, Faculty Advisor, Team Avishkar Hyperloop, IIT Madras, said, “This was one of my biggest dreams, to conduct a global hyperloop competition in India. I am very proud to say that we are the only institute to be providing a 422m long tube.”

By explaining the technologies involved in the Hyperloop and its associated benefits – incredible speed, safety and sustainability, the conference aimed to contribute towards the development of a massive Hyperloop community over the years to revolutionise the existing transport system.

The conference provided an opportunity for networking and collaboration among students, academicians and industrialists to propel the research and development of the hyperloop technologies