Event: Mech 2 Rail Challenge
Date/Time: Wednesday, January 23, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Location: Fred Kaiser Building (map), Room 1180, 2332 Main Mall, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
Parking: Health Sciences Parkade (map)
Event details: Second-year mechanical engineering students will race their autonomous vehicles around a track designed to simulate the challenges facing hyperloop design – a system through which a “pod” can travel free of air resistance or friction, transporting people or objects at high speed.
At the event, vehicles will autonomously navigate tight turns, broken track and steep grades without collisions or derailments, all while maximizing speed and minimizing energy use. Instructor Agnes d’Entremont explains that one of the challenges of hyperloop technology is that pods or trains have to compensate for minor track defects due to their high speed, and this competition allows students to learn about the real-world issues facing transportation development.
Images: Link
