Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) announced today that it will build an “innovation train” for Germany’s Deutsche Bahn, the largest railway operator in Europe. The train will not be a super-fast hyperloop, in which pods are propelled through aluminum tubes at speeds of up to 760 mph, but a conventional train that includes some of the futuristic technologies the startup has been showcasing at tech conferences around the world.
As a startup that relies on crowdsourcing and volunteer engineers, the collaboration with Deutsche Bahn may allow HTT to start generating revenue while it works toward the larger goal of building passenger-ready hyperloop systems. Indeed, HTT’s CEO Dirk Ahlborn said in a statement that the partnership will help create “new monetization strategies and business models” for his company.
Some of the features that HTT hopes to build into Deutsche Bahn’s innovation train include “augmented reality windows and a digital ecosystem.” HTT is working with a Munich-based company called Re’Flekt, which specializes in virtual and augmented reality. According to designs released by HTT, interactive panels that display the time, weather, and route could be projected onto the train’s windows. Motion-capture technology could adjust the image depending on where the passenger is looking.
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