News Update

IIT-M Hyperloop Team Avishkar Achieves Top 3 Spots in Global Competition

• ByStartupStory     |    August 19, 2023

The Students’ Hyperloop Team Avishkar from the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras) has achieved remarkable success by securing a place among the top three teams globally in specific technical categories during the European Hyperloop Week 2023 (EHW). Notably, Team Avishkar is the only non-European participant nominated for various award categories in this competition.

The EHW 2023 is an annual international event that facilitates discussions among university students, guest speakers, and companies regarding Hyperloop technology, its feasibility, and its scalability. University Hyperloop teams present their prototype components and complete pods to a technical panel and compete across various categories.

Hosted by the University of Edinburgh, this year’s competition saw around 23 participants from diverse institutions across the world reach the final rounds.

Congratulating the Team on their performance, Prof. Satya Chakravarthy, Faculty Advisor, Avishkar Hyperloop, IIT Madras, said, “Avishkar continues the tradition of keeping our flag flying high as in previous years. Over the years, we have got to develop the full stack of Hyperloop technologies, and I look forward to our improving them in the future.”

Team Avishkar Hyperloop earned a global top-three position in the ‘Full-Scale Socio-Economic Aspects of Hyperloop’ category. This achievement stemmed from their extensive research into the energy consumption estimation and ticket pricing model for a typical Hyperloop corridor. The team secured a noteworthy place in the global top five for the ‘Guidance’ category, providing compelling evidence of the viability of their Levitation systems onboard the pod. Their exceptional in-house designs of sensor and embedded systems earned them a global top-six position in the ‘Sense and Control Systems’ category.

Ms. Medha Kommajosyula, Student Team Lead of Team Avishkar Hyperloop, IIT Madras, elaborated on the team’s recent advancements. Their new pod, named ‘Garuda,’ is a completely in-house design featuring numerous upgrades, positioning it as Asia’s most advanced pod. Garuda is powered by a student-designed Linear Induction Motor, which serves as its primary braking mechanism. The pod boasts bidirectional run capabilities, EMS levitation, and a high lift-to-weight ratio, all while maintaining impressive power efficiency. Autonomous embedded systems govern the pod’s speed, direction, and real-time data acquisition. These systems draw power from a 3 kWh LFP primary battery pack with a high volumetric power density, solidifying Garuda’s technological prowess.

Mr. Siddhant Patole, Student Team Lead, of Team Avishkar Hyperloop, IIT Madras, said, “Having been granted several patents on Hyperloop technology, the team is pushing itself forward to build a 350 km-long Hyperloop corridor between Chennai and Bangalore that could bring down the travel time to just 30 minutes. We are looking at a timeline for developing India’s first Hyperloop corridor in the next two decades, with the first step being the ongoing construction of the upcoming 400 m-long Hyperloop test facility at IIT Madras. The team is also planning to publish several of their papers over time. We have made the full-scale research papers available online at our website so that our knowledge on the Hyperloop technology is spread across India and the world.”

Avishkar Hyperloop, a dedicated IIT Madras student team with over 50 members, strives to revolutionize transportation through sustainable Hyperloop technologies. Their endeavors receive support from diverse stakeholders, including the Government of India, as well as industry partners such as Tube Investments of India and L&T Construction.

Originating as a competition team at the Center for Innovation (CFI), IIT Madras, in 2017, Team Avishkar Hyperloop notably participated in the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition in 2019, clinching a place in the top 10 among more than 1,600 teams and standing as the sole Asian finalist. They secured the ‘Most Scalable Design’ award at EHW 2021 and achieved global top-five positions in the Traction Systems, Electrical Systems, and Complete Pod categories during the European Hyperloop Week 2022 held in the Netherlands.

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