skyTran

About

skyTran, a NASA Space Act company, headquartered at the NASA Ames Research Center near Mountain View, California, is a patented, high-speed, low-cost, elevated Personal Rapid Transportation (PRT) system. The skyTran network of computer-controlled, 2-person “jet-like” vehicles employs unique, state-of-the-art, SkyTran Magnetic Levitation (STML) technology. skyTran moves passengers in a fast, safe, green, and economical manner. With its NASA relationship, skyTran has access to a wide range of cutting-edge technologies and capabilities. It is able to combine NASA expertise, assets, and information with its own core competencies. skyTran can replace many other systems: skyTran’s computer-controlled, 2-person vehicles can accommodate much of the world’s commuting population within a smaller footprint and for less than other mass transit systems. Because skyTran is built as an expandable grid, it will never be filled to capacity. As the demand grows, more track can be installed and additional vehicles can be added to the network. The robust state-of the-art skyTran system can easily grow as the needs of the area grow, exponentially and immediately. The sophisticated skyTran computer network paces vehicles at optimum spacing and speeds to handle a significant number of commuters in a safe and efficient manner. The skyTran system recognizes you, responds to where you would like to go, and gets you there in the fastest time possible. skyTran truly is the Smart Transportation for Smart Cities℠. Riders are transported very rapidly with skyTran: The stream of skyTran vehicles never stops moving as traffic jams are unheard of on the skyTran network. The computer-controlled system provides optimal spacing of the skyTran vehicles. The fastest routes are identified and all vehicles are sent along at a very quick pace. Vehicles enter and exit the skyTran stream seamlessly with zero interruption to the flow. The stations are designed to load passengers rapidly and easily with faster boarders circumventing those riders who wish to take a bit more time exiting and entering their vehicles. You get on and you get off with no stops in between. Because your vehicle enters and exits a continuously flowing stream of other skyTran pods, you never have to stop for others who wish to embark or disembark from the steam. As you head directly to your destination, there are no in-between stops with skyTran. There are no schedules to follow or lines to wait in with skyTran:  While all other forms of mass transit are governed by schedules, skyTran is truly on-demand. When you are ready to travel, you use your computer or smartphone to call up a vehicle. You then pick a convenient neighborhood or city station and decide when you want to meet the vehicle, 24/7, rain or shine. Your select vehicle will arrive and speed you directly to your destination. And unlike trains, buses, light rail, and subways, there are no predetermined routes or stations. You will zip along the skyTran grid directly to any station of your choosing. Another big advantage of skyTran is that you never wait at the point of departure. Even taxi stands are prone to having long lines during rush hour. Not skyTran. If you wish to have a vehicle pick you up at 9:05am, then your personal skyTran vehicle picks you up at 9:05am regardless of how many other people are in the area. You never wait in line. skyTran accomodates a wide range of needs:  The skyTran vehicles are cost-effective for both a single occupancy (which accounts for 75% of US commuters), or for those wishing to travel with a partner. For larger groups desiring to commute to their destination together, multiple skyTran vehicles can zip along in a computer-linked caravan, meaning the entire family of vehicles is never separated. The parents can ride in comfort in the lead vehicle relaxing to music and a panoramic view while the kids are trailing behind in a separate vehicle playing video games. Similarly, shoppers with bulky purchases can order a small freight car to trail their private vehicle home from the shopping center. The small and unobtrusive skyTran stations can be located wherever they are needed most. They can be placed almost anywhere with minimal interruption to the existing environment or neighborhood. The streamlined platforms can be installed overhead, on the surface, or underground. skyTran stations can even be placed inside buildings. skyTran is an economical transit system:  Legacy mass transportation systems (such as trains and light rail) require massive infrastructures, high energy demands, and costly, complex vehicles. These cumbersome systems cost hundreds of times more than skyTran to build, maintain, and operate. Even freeways are dozens of times more expensive per mile to construct than the simple skyTran tracks which can be installed alongside existing roadways and walkways with minimal interruption to communities, businesses, and property. skyTran’s modular “snap-together” rails and supports are off-the-shelf components that can be put up quickly and easily. The vehicles are lightweight, streamlined, and inexpensive to mass-produce. Because of the low cost of fabrication, installation, and maintenance, skyTran can be capitalized faster than any other legacy transportation system. The low cost and fast payback makes skyTran the number one choice on any balance sheet. States, counties, and cities can all benefit financially from this low-cost system. There is no safer mass transit system than skyTran: When commuters congregate in large numbers they are vulnerable to catastrophic attacks and events. Terrorists do maximum damage when they can attack targets with multiple riders—such as buses, trains, and subways. A two-person, secure skyTran vehicle only lets people board that the computerized system recognizes. Unauthorized people would be turned away. However, in the unthinkable event that a terrorist made it onto the system, he/she could only do harm to themselves in their vehicle. By the same token, natural disasters such as earthquakes, tornadoes, and fires have less of a chance of harming riders that are not bunched together. In the event of an emergency, the vehicles have rapid stopping and avoidance capability built in. If power is interrupted to the network, each vehicle has enough on-board energy to safely and automatically head to the nearest station for disembarking. Repair of the skyTran system is faster and cheaper than any other mode of mass transportation. Damaged portions of track are relatively easy to install quickly and cheaply. Because the system does not require high tolerances, a team of workers can drive up, bolt together new components, and have the system up-and-running very quickly. skyTran is small, simple, and clean:  Unlike the eyesore of legacy rail systems with their massive steel and concrete frameworks, or freeways with their gigantic concrete footprints, skyTran uses small, lightweight poles and narrow, low-profile guideways that can be installed alongside sidewalks, over local shops, and even go into and out of buildings. The skyTran network of aluminum components is lightweight, simple, and comparatively easy to manufacture. Because of its small footprint, skyTran avoids the right-of-way problems that are inherent in other mass transit systems, which need large areas, costly land purchases, and complex zoning approvals to accommodate their infrastructure. Another bonus of skyTran is that it can bury existing, unsightly power and communication lines with its track to clean up neighborhood eyesores. An installed skyTran system can actually make the area look even better than before. skyTran is powered by clean, renewable energy: skyTran uses state-of-the-art maglev propulsion, the most energy-efficient way to travel by mass-transit. The kinetic energy-driven skyTran system emits virtually no pollution and it doesn’t need much energy to operate. The power used in two hair dryers can fly you at over 62 mph (100 kph) with skyTran. The legacy of polluting combustible engines can be reduced significantly by installing a clean and green skyTran system. The minimal power that is needed to operate the skyTran maglev vehicles can be obtained almost entirely from clean energy such as solar power. The poles, tracks, and even the vehicles provide an ideal platform to hold solar panels.