The AZLoop team will compete in the SpaceX Hyperloop competition against teams from around the world (Photo: Arizona State University)

A group of students Arizona are competing against teams around the world in hopes of impressing Elon Musk.

SpaceX, the technology guru's company, is organizing its third edition of the Hyperloop Pod Competition on July 22nd. SpaceX hopes to use the high-speed transport system to quickly transport passengers between cities.

Three years ago, 13 students formed AZ Loop. Now, the team has more than 60 members from Arizona State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

The team created a self-propelled gondola, the size of a model, about 10 feet long and that moves on a runway. It has navigation, propulsion, braking and stability mechanisms.

Training a Mine Crew

Undergraduate and graduate students gathered to work on the project. Not only do students study engineering, some are specialized in graphic design and business.

"It's the variety of people we work with that increases our knowledge," said Surya Rajagopalan, Ph.D. student in Aerospace Engineering.

Rajagopalan said that although many of the students working on the project are undergraduates, he learned different skills outside of his orientation study.

"I was impressed by their knowledge and I learned a lot," he said.

Mykol Reklaitis said that working with different majors helped him to have a different perspective.

"As an electrical major, I think about" Oh, this wire will burn, "said the 20-year-old." As a mechanical major, they will think of other different problems. "

Hitting speed bumps

It was not easy for students to prepare for the competition, but according to Rajagopalan, things did not always go according to plan.

" When we do a design we do a design based on our targets, "explains the head of mechanical integration and systems.

However, problems like funding have interfered with the original design.

Leann Scott, Materials Manager and manufacturing, said that the team needed to rethink the systems to solve their funding problem.

"We originally had a different engine, but we had to go back because we did not could not afford it and n We had to design another one, "said Scott

. to the president of AZLoop, Joshua Bowen.

"It is difficult by nature to coordinate so many people with this big project, but it went very well," he said.

He said that the team sometimes fluctuated to more than 100 students.

The Competition

AZLoop will participate in the SpaceX Hyperloop competition in Hawthrone, California on July 22nd. The competition focuses on maximum speed.

"There are going to be a lot of amazing teams that poured blood, sweat and tears into this competition," said Reklaitis.

To prepare the contest, AZLoop has received the help of Composites One, a company that provides materials and technical solutions. Scott said the company gave the team advice with the design.

"It was really good for our team," she said.

In addition, the team was able to test their project on a 150-foot runway and a 25-foot pressure chamber on the ASU Polytechnic campus. According to the university, the team is the only US team to have a pressure chamber.

Rajagopalan said that he hopes AZLoop will reach maximum speed this year. The winner last year, WARR, had a speed of over 200 miles per hour.

"Nothing will compare him to turning it on and running it on track, so I'm really excited to see it," said Bowen

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