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Arizona team one of two dozen working to make hyperloop travel possible

Posted at 10:06 PM, May 09, 2017
and last updated 2017-05-10 16:07:23-04

Inching along Interstate 10 during rush hour or standing in line at the airport hours before a flight may soon be a thing of the past.

Some of the brightest minds around the state are part of a massive project that promises unbelievably fast travel.
"The hyperloop is the proposed fifth mode of transportation. Similar to high-speed rail that you see internationally, say in Japan," said Lynne Nethken, an Arizona State University master's student and AZloop team member.

More than 100 students from engineering, business and science backgrounds make up the AZloop team.

They are have been working together for two years to come up with a pod design.

The Arizona group was among 24 teams selected as finalists from around the world. 

"It's going to be similar to a subway platform, so you walk up to the hyperloop station, you wait for your part to arrive. They arrive typically between three to five minutes and 30 minutes later you are at your destination," said Nethken.

The group has to move its idea from the drawing board to a real life prototype which will be tested in California. Success could mean fundamental changes to many aspects of modern society.

"It can revolutionize economies, it can revolutionize the way you live, the way you work. Where you work, how cities interact with each other. "

The AZloop is scheduled to have their first trial run on the Hyperloop track in late July or early August.