Q&A with rLoop Project Manager Brent Lessard about Pods, Hyperloop and the Future

 

Q: So I assume the name rLoop came from the classic reddit thread build up /r ?

A: Yes, originally we called ourselves redditloop, but quickly changed to rLoop. It’s certainly a nod to our origins. The original post suggesting we enter the competition was made on r/SpaceX. That post received a lot of attention from the community and the team started to organically self-organize from there.

Q: You guys are a non-student team, but wouldn’t it be great to take part of young students inner fire and everything-is-possible-mentality?

A: The truth is rLoop is approximately 85% students. We like to think of participation in rLoop as educational as well, so we don’t just task the experienced professionals in the group with certain tasks. Anyone can take on a task, get guidance and feedback from those with more experience, and in the end we increase the quality of the interactions between members and everyone comes out ahead.

A: There are some milestones to achieve along the way but the next stage of the event is the final one – racing our completed prototype on the test track in Hawthorne, CA. We have a great team and a strong design – I know we’re going to be serious contenders. There will be a lot of data and experience gathered from the competition weekend, so we’re looking forward to that. Regardless of the outcome of the weekend, I think what we’ve achieved in the past ten months has been incredible – organizing organically, pushing the boundaries of the open source and crowd sourced model, collaboratively designing a prototype design that beat out over 1,200 other teams, and competing against well established institutions like MIT, Virginia Tech, and Delft – all of whom have massive corporate sponsors.

A: Magnetic. The manufacturing demands on the tube would be too costly for air bearings – and I think you’ll find any of the commercial entities are going the same route. We’ve been lucky enough to have a good relationship with Arx Pax – their MFA technology will be providing levitation for our pod.

A: The needs of the team fluctuate. We’re currently at an advanced stage of the competition, with many aspects of our pod design already frozen. We always have a need for certain fields, though, so anyone passionate about making the Hyperloop a reality should certainly contact us through our website, rloop.org.

Q: And if everything goes according to plan, what’s the ultimate vision here??A:  rLoop’s operational model is quite interesting to see in action. The crowd sourced platform welcomes diversity of perspective and allows the best ideas to rise to the top by making everyone an equal. Your geographical location, your religion, your politics, your education – none of these are a factor in your voice being heard. The open source ethos allows a quick and free flow of information, encouraging constant and rapid iteration. As a result, we’ve been able to organize, design, and compete against some of the world’s greatest institutions – and we did it in ten months without ever having met in person.

We’re hellbent on making the Hyperloop a reality, and that is what we’re going to do. We want to leverage our performance and the data collected from the competition weekend to make that happen.

Q: Give us 3 tips from what you have learned on your way to other technology entrepreneurs?

A:

Passion is the ultimate incentive – if you are not passionate about your project, it will be evident.

Your vision is your greatest asset.

Being open source will drive innovation – never be stagnant!

Q: Finally, tell us: why should your project get funded?

A: rLoop is working to make the Hyperloop a reality. The project places rLoop at the forefront of technology and innovation. We believe the Hyperloop is a revolution for transportation, and we believe the approach to realizing it can be revolutionary as well. We’d love to have a passionate community join us on this journey of international collaboration and innoavtion.