Virginia Tech unveils hyperloop pod, plans for test track

BLACKSBURG (WSLS 10) - Virginia Tech is speeding its way into the future of transportation with a test track that has never been seen before on the East Coast.

A group of students recently placed fourth in a hyperloop pod design competition. Hyperloop is a high-speed system that is envisioned to carry passengers at speeds of more than 700 miles per hour.

Thanks to its top 20 placement, the team was then invited to build its pod for testing at a one-mile track in California next year. Virginia Tech announced it will soon build the team a test track of its own for practice.

"Providing a test track is the only way you can actually evaluate this system in real time," said Virginia Tech professor Stefan Duma. "You can build the system, but if you can't test it while it's moving, you can't work out your control system."

So far, the team has raised more than $70,000 to build the pod.

Virginia Tech professors said they believe a hyperloop transportation system could become a reality, at least on a small scale, in just five years.