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Groningen’s Meerstad is to be home to a Hyperloop testing facility, but yesterday a smaller prototype was installed at the Zernike Campus in Groningen. The images of the prototype have been shared by researcher Piet Zijlstra (@PietZijlstra on Twitter), reports the GIC.
The prototype will remain at Zernike for a few years, and will be use as a test-bed. One of the things that will be demonstrated is what happens when the hyperloop tube remains in the open air.
In time, research will then be shifted to Meerstad. A considerably wider tube, with a diameter of 2.5 meters, will then be installed, and then people can actually investigate what it is like to transport freight with it.
But first a test center will have to be built at Meerstad. This requires further consultation with local residents and the municipality to ensure careful integration into the area.