Hyperloop design team wins at European Hyperloop Week

The Queen’s Hyperloop Design Team (QHDT) has added to their awards haul.

After winning five of the nine awards at the Hyperloop Global competition in Toronto in May, the student team won another major award this past summer in Zurich, Switzerland at European Hyperloop Week (EHW), the largest hyperloop conference in the world.

Competing against 26 of the top university hyperloop teams on the globe, QHDT placed first in the Full-Scale Socio-Economic Research category for their publication and presentation about their route planning algorithm and how hyperloop transportation routes could be implemented in Canada and elsewhere. 

The team was also nominated in the Full-Scale Technical Research category for another project investigating 3D printable materials that could protect the electronics of their hyperloop pod from strong electromagnetic fields. 

“It was so surreal hearing them call our team’s name for the socio-economic research award,” says Ashley Robb, Sc’24, QHDT co-captain and leader of the research and development sub-team. “There was a lot of really tough competition there, but all the hard work from the year, all the late nights we put in, came together in that moment. It was incredible. We did it.”

Often called the “fifth mode of transportation,” hyperloop is a proposed ultra-high-speed transportation system in which passengers and freight could one day travel in autonomous electric pods going over 1000 km/h.

If ever fully realized, hyperloop could significantly reduce travel times while also producing zero direct carbon emissions. Some estimates have suggested that the travel time from Toronto to Montreal, for instance, could be reduced to under 40 minutes. 

Student teams like QHDT try to help make hyperloop a reality by designing prototype pods and other infrastructure, as well as doing research and business analytics related to the technology.  

QHDT had about 150 team members this year split up into four sub-teams: technical, business and logistics, tunnelling, and research and development. And they weren’t just from Smith Engineering.

“Our members are from a range of faculties at Queen’s, which really helped us this year,” says Robb. “That can give you a big leg up over competitors because you can mimic more real-world and workplace-type environments.”

Eighteen QHDT team members and their third-generation pod, “The Orca,” travelled to Zurich for EHW, which took place in July. The annual international event hosts speakers, workshops, team presentations, and a competition where a panel of judges hands out awards in several categories.

QHDT made its first appearance at EHW last year, which was also the first year for the team’s research and development branch.

“Last year at the conference it felt like the other teams were ahead of us, but they were where we wanted to be,” says Robb. “So to go this year, and not only compete with them, but actually win an award is just super, super exciting and really inspiring.”

Yet as inspiring as the win was, Robb says there were even bigger takeaways from being on the team and attending EHW.

“It definitely changed my view of leadership and how leading a team isn’t just about the technical aspects but keeping the team positive and motivated and moving towards our goals,” she says.

The experience also taught her about the power of perseverance and the importance of camaraderie.

“It gave me a second family,” says Robb. “These are people that I didn’t know two years ago, and now I’m halfway across the world with them, having a great time, competing, and doing what we love together. I’m very glad that I joined the team two years ago, stuck with it, moved up, and then saw the team excel this year the way we did.”