The Hyperloop Development Competition, organized for the third time this year by TÜBİTAK RUTE and TÜBİTAK BİTO, was completed on August 13-17 at TÜBİTAK Gebze Campus. The competition offered university students the opportunity to work and develop innovative solutions in this advanced technology field.
227 teams from universities across Türkiye applied to the competition and qualified for the finals after passing through various stages. In the final, after the submission and control of the technical design reports, the teams exhibited their performances.
SELÇUK BAYRAKTAR AND ELVAN KUZUCU HIDIR EXCITEMENT IN HYPERLOOP
TEKNOFEST Chairman Selçuk Bayraktar and Türkiye Technology Team (T3) Foundation Chairman Elvan Kuzucu Hıdır and T3 Foundation Officials visited the Hyperloop Development Competition and watched the competitions on site.
Meeting the competitors one by one and wishing them success, Selçuk Bayraktar and Elvan Kuzucu Hıdır received detailed information from Tolgahan Kaya, Director of TÜBİTAK Rail Transportation Technologies Institute (RUTE) and visited the Hyperloop Racing area. Bayraktar and Hıdır, who were welcomed with the intense interest of young people, chatted with the competitors and took a souvenir photo.
Selçuk Bayraktar stated that Hyperloop technology makes a great contribution to Türkiye's future in the field of transportation and that he believes that the innovative work of young engineers in this field will bring Türkiye to a strong position in the international arena.
"TEKNOFEST has grown like an avalanche. It has grown with a geometric increase since we organized it in 2018. This year, there were nearly 1.5 million applications to our competitions. Of course, we also have new competitions. Hyperloop, this fast train Our competition is a competition organized by TÜBİTAK for years. We believe that there has been significant progress here, and that it is an important competition both in terms of raising our brothers and sisters who will develop the fast transportation technologies of the future, and in terms of developing the advanced technology of electric motors used as engines in cars. As in all our competitions, we also see that the interest here is great. Of course, TEKNOFEST is made with great effort."
DAZZLING AWARD CEREMONY
The award ceremony for the 2024 Hyperloop Development Competition was held on August 17, 2024. In addition to performance awards, special awards were also presented to the successful teams. The trophies were presented to the successful teams by a delegation consisting of Kocaeli Governor İlhami Aktaş, Istanbul Technical University Rector Prof. Dr. Hasan Mandal, TÜBİTAK President İsmail Doğan and TÜBİTAK RUTE Manager Dr. Tolgahan Kaya.
Within the scope of the competition, 21 teams received a total of 1,680,000 TL, 80,000 TL each. Performance awards were given to the teams with the highest speed and safest performance in the tunnel. During the competition, the teams went through technical controls and exhibited their performances, and the program included various sessions and demonstrations of dynamic levitation.
Other awards will be given at TEKNOFEST Aviation, Space and Technology Festival, which will be held at Adana Şakirpaşa Airport on Wednesday, October 2, 2024 and Sunday, October 6, 2024. The first prize will be 200,000 TL, the second prize will be 150,000 TL and the third prize will be 120,000 TL. In addition, a total of 150,000 TL will be distributed in five different categories such as electromagnetic levitation, propulsion systems and infrastructure development within the scope of innovation awards.
The Hyperloop Development Competition, organized jointly by TÜBİTAK RUTE and TÜBİTAK BİTO, aims to increase Türkiye's international competitiveness in this field while allowing young engineers to showcase their talents for future transportation technologies.
WHAT IS HYPERLOOP TECHNOLOGY?
Hyperloop is a transportation technology designed for high-speed passenger and freight transportation.
The system allows vehicles to move in long tubes with low air pressure, minimizing air friction and enabling very high speeds. Vehicles glide through the tubes using magnetic levitation or airbags, which minimizes friction.
Hyperloop can theoretically reach speeds of up to 1,200 kilometers per hour and offers advantages in terms of energy efficiency. It also provides high comfort during travel with low noise levels. Studies are being carried out under the leadership of TÜBİTAK Rail Transportation Technologies Institute in order for Hyperloop, which is under development and seen as one of the most important transportation vehicles of the future, to be widely implemented and applied.
In addition, the experience and knowledge gained by TEKNOFEST competitors through the Hyperloop Development Competition will contribute greatly to Türkiye becoming a pioneer in the implementation of this new transportation technology.
