Do you think the SkyTran concept has merit?
Would you like to get involved?

We currently have available a total of up to $20,000 to pay some Electrical Engineering undergraduate/graduate students to do research that leads to a proof-of-concept fully functioning demonstration MagLev subscale model. The work can start now on apart time basis and could lead to full time summer employment. 

We need the functional model to measure power transmission efficiency and establish up to date costs for our small, low speed MagLev concepts.  Keep in mind that the eventual full size POD to be levitated, accelerated, stabilized and braked is just 200 pounds empty (600 pounds full) with a maximum speed of 100 MPH - not a 100,000 pound monster moving at 300 MPH!  Our order of magnitude reductions may mean that the physics and control systems may be different than proven on all earlier electromagnetically levitated trains.  It should be noted that German engineer, Herman Kemper received a patent for a MagLev train back in 1934 and way back in 1935 demonstrated his first functional model!!  Thus, it may not be that difficult of a project and it should definitely be interesting fun!

Our goal is to have working MagLev models that people can visually and instantly comprehend. Hopefully, seeing that working model will have people simultaneously questioning why isn’t their own city installing a low cost personal/mass transportation system!  That working subscale MagLev demo model is a crucial step to reach our objectives.

MODEL GROWTH
The first thing we need is a simple straight 8 foot long or so working MagLev model based on one or more of the existing MagLev technologies. We are confident we can capture the general public’s interest with the 8 foot long straight device and use that attention to raise more serious initial funding for advanced developments. We want to keep the first demo model simple. However, that would just be the first step in an ongoing continual development.

After the simple straight demo, we want to expand the working model as follows:

2. Complete oval track - demonstrating levitation, acceleration to a cruise speed, stopping and going backward at will.
3. Complete oval track with passive exit lanes and merging lanes. The MagLev model will exit  to a short parallel track, stop and then merge back in to the main oval track. No mechanical train type switching will be used.
4. Multiple vehicles running independently on the oval track (catching up to each other and forming a mini train, separating, etc.
5. Multiple vehicles that can independently exit at will onto the side track, stop while other vehicles cruise by on the main oval track, and then reaccelerate and blend back onto the main track.

Peter and I have been working to simplify the concepts on this patented transportation system in order to make it easily comprehensible to the general public. What we have now is just a lot of words and a bunch of mathematical analysis. That is not enough to convey the idea!  We need that functional MagLev model first and then tons of classy visual aids and 3D mockups to help people grasp what our vision is all about.