Skip to main content

Elevated mass transit about to get real

Tel Aviv, Israel is about to become the first city to implement the futuristic skyTran system of magnetic levitation (maglev) high-speed personal transit. US company skyTran, headquartered at the NASA Research Park (NRP) in California and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have entered into an agreement to construct a skyTran Technology Demonstration System (TDS) on the grounds of IAI's corporate campus. Developed by skyTran CEO, Jerry Sanders, skyTran is a high-speed, elevated, levitating, energy-ef
June 27, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Tel Aviv, Israel is about to become the first city to implement the futuristic skyTran system of magnetic levitation (maglev) high-speed personal transit.

US company skyTran, headquartered at the NASA Research Park (NRP) in California and Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have entered into an agreement to construct a skyTran Technology Demonstration System (TDS) on the grounds of IAI's corporate campus.

Developed by skyTran CEO, Jerry Sanders, skyTran is a high-speed, elevated, levitating, energy-efficient transportation system. The skyTran system is a network of computer-controlled, two-person ‘jet-like’ vehicles employing state-of-the-art passive maglev technology. According to skyTran the system will transport passengers in a fast, safe, green and economical manner.

The TDS will incorporate skyTran’s salient features. It will provide a platform for skyTran vehicles to travel at high speeds, with full payloads while levitating. The TDS will enable testing, refinement, and validation of skyTran’s technology in a controlled environment.

The TDS will be followed by deployment of the first commercial skyTran system in Tel Aviv, Israel. Other projects worldwide are pending TDS completion.

Jerry Sanders remarked, “The support afforded by IAI is a breakthrough for skyTran. IAI, as a world class designer of aircraft and avionics, is the perfect partner to take skyTran from concept to construct."

IAI’s Yossi Melamed declared, “We are proud to be part of this exciting moment in transportation history and to host the first SkyTran system in our grounds. The TDS will incorporate IAI’s advanced capabilities in the areas of engineering, robotics, and control.”

Related Content

  • Jacobs JV awarded contract for California high speed rail
    July 23, 2015
    The Jacobs Engineering Group has been awarded a contract to provide design services for the Construction Package 2-3 (CP 2-3) of the California High Speed Rail, the continuation of construction on the California high-speed rail system south towards Kern County. Jacobs is the lead designer for the Dragados-Flatiron joint venture for the design-build contract and is responsible for the infrastructure design. The California High Speed Rail is the first true high-speed rail being constructed in the United S
  • Autonomous truck platooning moves up a gear with NXP and DAF Trucks
    November 25, 2016
    NXP Semiconductors is setting the pace in truck platooning with full-size commercial vehicles that can run at 80kmph only 11 metres apart, offering up to 11 per cent in fuel savings. The Dutch technology company believes that “there’s no better place than truck platooning to demonstrate the merits of autonomous driving.” Its research team has been working with DAF Trucks to develop leading edge technology that can make driving decisions ‘30 times faster than human reaction time’. NXP says that adapt
  • Kapsch TrafficCom partners ITS Australia
    October 25, 2012
    In an Australian industry first, Kapsch TrafficCom Australia joins ITS Australia as a partner to promote the benefits of intelligent transport systems. The partnership agreement was signed at the Kapsch dinner on the eve of the 2012 ITS World congress in Vienna. The ITS Australia initiative is designed to foster long term partnerships with industry organisations over the coming years. By working collaboratively with industry partners in long term relationships, the association has greater opportunity to lea
  • South Australian Transport Minister gets to grips with UK driverless initiatives
    August 19, 2016
    South Australian Transport and Infrastructure Minister, Stephen Mullighan MP, has shown his support for the UK’s driverless initiatives during a visit to the Transport Research Laboratory’s (TRL’s) UK Smart Mobility Living Lab @ Greenwich. The visit was arranged to enable the South Australian Minister to learn more about UK innovations in connected and automated vehicles (CAVs). The Minister was given presentations on several UK CAV projects, including GATEway, MOVE_UK and Atlas, followed by a live demon