John Tolley, July 6, 2017

We?re no strangers to the University of Wisconsin-Madison?s Badgerloop team, having spilled some ink about their impressive showing at last year?s inaugural Hyperloop competition at SpaceX headquarters in California. (We even profiled them in a video vignette which you can view here.)

Last month, the team rolled out their latest Hyperloop pod, the Badgerloop II, during a press event at the UW-Madison Mechanical Engineering Building. The team, made up of students from a variety of disciplines, has spent the past few months refining their design based on lessons learned at the competition last winter.

Now, they are gearing up to hit the road once again. The new pod will be displaying their pod alongside a slew of international teams in SpaceX?s next competition later this summer.

 

A team of students reveal their group's in-progress design for the Badgerloop Pod II during an event held for media, sponsors and supporters at the Mechanical Engineering Building lobby at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on June 17, 2017. The Badgerloop team is preparing for the international SpaceX Hyperloop Competition II Aug. 25-27, 2017, in California. A hyperloop involves a pod moving in a low-pressure tube at hundreds of miles per hour. The sole criteria for this year's competition is speed. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)

 

A student demonstrates how the Halbach Wheel can be used to generate magnetic propulsion as the team reveals their group's in-progress design for the Badgerloop Pod II during an event held for media, sponsors and supporters at the Mechanical Engineering Building lobby at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on June 17, 2017. The Badgerloop team is preparing for the international SpaceX Hyperloop Competition II Aug. 25-27, 2017, in California. A hyperloop involves a pod moving in a low-pressure tube at hundreds of miles per hour. The sole criteria for this year's competition is speed. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)

 

UW-Madison's Hyperloop team the Badgerloop
At right, Arjun Chaudhary describes the rail-braking system of Badgerloop Pod II as the team reveals their group's in-progress design during an event held for media, sponsors and supporters at the Mechanical Engineering Building lobby at the University of Wisconsin-Madison on June 17, 2017. The Badgerloop team is preparing for the international SpaceX Hyperloop Competition II Aug. 25-27, 2017, in California. A hyperloop involves a pod moving in a low-pressure tube at hundreds of miles per hour. The sole criteria for this year's competition is speed. (Photo by Jeff Miller / UW-Madison)