Dec 8, 2015 3 min read

CANONSBURG – Engineering simulation software maker Ansys Inc. said Tuesday university students are designing transport pods for the SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition that could contribute to the future of high-speed transportation by leveraging simulation tools provided by the Southpointe-based company.

The Hyperloop is a concept for a revolutionary new high-speed system, where passengers travel in low-pressure tubes at speeds more than 700 miles per hour.

In January, SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced he would construct a Hyperloop test track, which may be located in Texas. The track would be a loop of around 5 miles in length and would be entirely privately funded. It would allow university and private teams to test and refine different transport pod designs.

In June, SpaceX announced it would build a mile-long test track next to SpaceX’s Hawthorne facility. The track would be used to test pod designs supplied by third parties that are entered into a design competition.

Construction on a 5-mile Hyperloop test track is to start on a Hyperloop Transportation Technologies-owned site in Quay Valley in 2016.

On June 15, SpaceX announced it would hold a Hyperloop pod design competition to be held at the test track it would build at Hawthorne.

While neither SpaceX or Musk is affiliated with any Hyperloop companies, it is interested in helping to accelerate development of a functional Hyperloop prototype.

To accelerate the development of a functional Hyperloop prototype, SpaceX created the Hyperloop Pod Competition, geared toward university students and independent engineering teams.

As part of the contest, Southpointe-based Ansys is providing teams with its leading engineering simulation software solutions and technical support to students from its industry experts.

According to a news release from Ansys, teams will have access to the Ansys portfolio, including structures, fluids, electromagnetics and systems that will enable them to push the limits of the engineering development process and virtually predict real world outcomes quickly and reliably.

“It is very exciting to partner with SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition and witness students drive technology innovation at the same level as leading edge commercial product companies,” said Mark Hindsbo, Ansys’ vice president of marketing.

“We truly believe in the power of the next generation of engineers and are happy to be able to provide them with the tools that can help bring their ideas to life.”

“The Hyperloop Pod Competition is unparalleled because nothing to this scale has ever been attempted before,” said Paul Witsberger, senior at Purdue University College of Engineering Hyperloop team. “The Hyperloop Pod Competition enables us to take a novel approach to solve some of the most challenging engineering problems facing the Hyperloop and push the boundaries of design, taking this innovative concept to the next level.”

Ansys Inc. is the global leader in engineering simulation, enabling its customers to meet complex design challenges through the broadest portfolio of fast, accurate and reliable simulation tools.