As a part of a competition sponsored by SpaceX, university students and independent engineering teams are building scale-model Hyperloop pods.
Alex Chan details the efforts of the HyperXite team at U.C. Irvine "as they finalize their designs for a pod that would speed through a tube at more than 700 mph, levitated by compressed air."
The team is participating in the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, which is scheduled to wrap up this summer. "The competition aims to speed up the development of a prototype," according to Chan. Cnn Money also recently caught up on the development of a prototype, with the leaders of a company, Hyperloop Technologies, already starting to lay test tracks in the California desert.
As for the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition, 120 finalists were selected from about 360 submissions in November. "Those teams, representing 20 countries, will present their designs during the competition's Design Weekend on Jan. 29 and 30 at Texas A&M University," reports Chan.
FULL STORY: L.A. to S.F. in an Hour: U.C. Irvine Students Submit Hyperloop Proposal

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
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UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
City of Piedmont, CA
Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research