Hyperlink, Queen Mary University of London's Hyperloop team, was recognised with the 'Braking System Award' at the 2024 Hyperloop Global Competition.

Hyperlink competed in the annual event, hosted by Toronto Metropolitan University, alongside a range of local and international teams.

They were the only UK team present at this year's competition, and joined the five winning teams recognised with awards for exceptional engineering prowess.

At the awards ceremony, the jury commented: “[We] would like to congratulate [Hyperlink] for an innovative approach to braking, a two-factor approach with the Braking System Award.”

Team members Kirti Raj Megha (Technical Director) and Shayan Usman (Head of Propulsion), represented Hyperlink at the competition. They engaged in various activities, while observing and collaborating with other teams working on their Hyperloop pods.

Hyperlink also presented engineering and research papers to the technical jury and other participants. Their engineering presentation garnered significant positive attention and numerous interested questions and comments from the jury, highlighting the team’s innovative approach to advancing Hyperloop technology.

A spokesperson from the team said: "We thank Hyperloop Global for organising such an amazing
competition. It was a great opportunity for us to learn, network, and meet our team’s external juror. We would like to thank the whole team for their hard work, as well as the University for their support. We have spent many days manufacturing and testing. We congratulate all winners and participants and look forward to our upcoming participation at European Hyperloop Week in July!"

Hyperloop, touted as the “fifth mode of transport” by supporters, is a proposed high-speed transportation system for long-distance travel. It involves an electromagnetically-levitating pod within a vacuum tube, which reduces friction and drag, allowing the pod to move very fast. It is thought that the Hyperloop could potentially reach speeds of over 700 miles per hour, if it can be built.

The Hyperloop Global Competition provides an opportunity for networking and collaboration among students, academics and industrialists who are working on research and development of Hyperloop technologies.

European Hyperloop Week will take place between 15 and 21 July in Zurich. “We look forward to the opportunity to learn and network with other teams, contributing to a better future—with a touch of Swiss chocolate!” said the team.