(11 January 2016) Brilliant Italian minds have designed the transport of the future. On January 29-30, the only Italian group selected in the competition launched by the world CEO of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk, will travel to Texas to present its innovative and unique idea. All began with a vision, Musk’s vision (founder of space company “SpaceX” and Tesla Motors (specializing in high-performance electric vehicles): to provide the means of mass transport of the future. A kind of spacecraft that will cover the distance between Rome and Milan in just over 30 minutes, at a cost of about €20 per traveler. If this dream will become reality, the merit could also be attributed to a group of engineering students from the Sant’Anna School and the University of Pisa, who were the only ones in Italy and among the few in Europe to be selected for “SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition.” The event was launched by Musk to attract young talents and ensure visibility with potential investors. “Hyperloop” is the name chosen for the spacecraft that will travel at the speed of sound, inside a tube where air will be maintained at very low pressure, to minimize resistance to movement. One of the key elements for safety and passenger comfort that is the suspension system. The Italian group passed the examination by an international commission made up of academics and technicians from the transport sector with its project on the suspension system. Thanks to this success, the Italian students were summoned to Austin, to illustrate their project at Texas A & M University, the fourth largest university in the United States, in late January. On this occasion Luca Cesaretti, Lorenzo Andrea Parrotta, Emanuele Raffaele, Tommaso Sartor, Giorgio Valsecchi, Sandro Okutuga, Giulio De Simone will present their innovative solution, inspired by concepts adopted in Formula 1, military vehicles and the upscale automotive market. (Red)
