Hyperloop prototype construction begins in Las Vegas

Elon Musk’s brainchild Hyperloop is taking form in a desert near Las Vegas. Construction has begun on the first Hyperloop prototype – known as ‘DevLoop’ – which once completed will carry six-person pods faster than the speed of sound.

The project comes from Los Angeles-based startup Hyperloop One, which is looking into building a track running from Dubai to Abu Dhabi .

Tesla and SpaceX mastermind Elon Musk first revealed the Hyperloop concept in 2012 and challenged inventors across the world to submit prototype ideas.

Hyperloop, which has been dubbed the "Concorde of commuting" works by firing capsules through an airless tube. Magnetic levitation powers the pods through a frictionless vacuum at intense speeds.

Suspended off the ground to protect it from weather and earthquakes, the test track will be a 3km enclosed loop. Hyperloop One hopes to achieve its first successful trials in early 2017.

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SOURCE [Mirror]