The SESAME ( South East Scotland Afternoon Meetings and Events) 2023 events programme continued with a talk given by five members of the Hyperloop Edinburgh (HYPED) team in October with a follow up Visit to the HYPED facilities at the University of Edinburgh School of Engineering at the King’s Buildings campus in November. Both events were organised by our Secretary Ian Smith who also provided the event report below.

HYPED is an interdisciplinary student team dedicated to progressing the concept of the Hyperloop transportation system by producing pod prototypes, conducting full-scale research,  expanding the Hyperloop community and  raising awareness of STEM. The project has been running since 2015 with a team of up to 150 undergraduates of different STEM disciplines, working in collaboration to research, design, manufacture and test Hyperloop pods.

Hyperloop is a concept for future mass transportation consisting of electrically propelled pods travelling autonomously through a near-vacuum tube. Hyperloop would be faster and more sustainable compared to current land based modes of transport and could reduce the travel time from Edinburgh to London to 45 minutes.
The talk gave us an informative overview of the technology, research and practical pod development currently being carried out by the HYPED team. Their excellent presentation included animated graphics of the electromagnetic propulsion system.

         
                   

The November visit to the School of Engineering was complementary to the October talk. We were given a brief introductory review of Hyperloop technology and then a tour of the research and development laboratories. Three key elements of a Hyperloop pod were focused on:
o    Power and propulsion in the form of a linear motor.
o    Controls and software.
o    Pod’s structural design and construction.
The student team for each element led a detailed discussion on the practical and theoretical engineering issues they have had to address to achieve an operational Hyperloop pod. All of our many and varied questions were answered knowledgably and honestly.
Technical gremlins and the weather prevented a demonstration of the newest pod in operation on the 100m test track which has been built on the Campus. Both as always the enemies of leading edge research and development but still an excellent event.
     

                  

After the very successful events in September, October and November, we hope our forthcoming events are as successful and we hope to see you there.

Our December event is on the Events calendar you can get the details there and also register for the event. Registration is not essential for our talks but doing so helps us estimate catering numbers.

2023
    6 December      Talk - Tracking the Future – Satellite Communications

2024 dates for you diary:

     7 February         Talk – Submarine Safety Systems
     6 March             Visit – Energy from Waste (provisional)
     10 April               Talk – Engineering Maintenance Management
     15 May               Visit – Glasgow Subway Depot

The SESAME section of IET South East Scotland Network organises a series of daytime activities with both a social and technical theme. As our name suggests we arrange events within the South East of Scotland with a focus on being both a social and technical group. If you live in Scotland or are just visiting us, we'd love to see you at one of our events!