The result, a visual blur and an acceleration that rivals that of a military fighter.
Researchers from China's National University of Defense Technology accelerated a one-ton vehicle from 0 to 700 km/h in less than 2 seconds using the superconducting magnetic room, all on a test track of just 400 m and then a complete stop.
It's not a test for passengers, of course, the force exceeds 10G in acceleration, enough to make even experienced pilots faint, but that was never the goal. The system uses high-temperature superconducting magnets cooled with liquid nitrogen to about -196º, still extremely cold, but much more viable than traditional superconductors that require liquid helium.
Today there is only one high-speed Maglev train in commercial operation in the world and it is in China.
This creates intense magnetic fields capable of suspending the vehicle and eliminating virtually all rose, no wheels, no contact, just magnetic fields and pure speed. The final plan is not 700 km/h, it is 1000 km/h, a speed greater than the cruising speed of commercial aircraft; in practice, this could transform a 14-hour land trip between Shanghai and Beijing into something close to 2 hours.
The Maglev train is in Shanghai, connecting the airport with the city center at more than 430 km/h, while in the West we debate whether and how in China it seems to operate in the opposite way, build first, adjust later, that difference is philosophical or just political, it defines who gets to the future first.
