Chinese MagLev Train Opens Next Week

lupa1420 writes "The Guardian reports on the launch next week of the world's fastest train, 430kph, in China, which uses magnetic levitation technology. Includes instructions on how to make your own maglev demo at home."

Re:PDA/Disks/MP3-players at risk?

[Dak_x]

THere has to be a way to shield it - otherwise the onboard computer systems would not work...

Replacement for air travel

[SlightOverdose]

Wouldn't such a system be better as a replacement for air travel? at speeds exceeding 400km/h, it is in the same ballpark as commercial passenger jets, while being much cheaper and more convenient to run. It almost seems a waste to use it for a half-hour trip.

Imaging a trans-continental one of these.

Re:is it possible?

[Anonymous Coward]

Not possible since the 50s. American Labour has essentially priced itself out of the market. No more new stuff, it's too expensive!

Re:PDA/Disks/MP3-players at risk?

[the eric conspiracy]

Being bathed in electromagnetic radiation for 5 hours every day is not nice on your body.

When are you moving to another planet then? Everybody on this one is bathed in electromagnetic fields (i.e. the one that makes compasses point North) from birth.

Re:Replacement for air travel

[the eric conspiracy]

Wouldn't such a system be better as a replacement for air travel?

Probably, but it would have to go through a lot of back yards to get from NY to LA. Air travel avoids the NIMBY factor a lot better.

Re:is it possible?

[CrazyTalk]

Baltimore/DC and Pittsburgh have been competing for years for federal funding for a demonstration Maglev project. Here in Pittsburgh, they even planned out a route that such a train would travel (From the suburbs of Greensburg and Monroeville to downtown, then out to the airport). Considering the war in Iraq and and the budget deficit, prospects for funding are growing dimmer all the time.

Re:mag fields

[Anonymous Coward]

Actually that's unlikely since it's only the stray field that would affect your equipment, and that will fall off as d^3 - magnetic field strength follows an inverse-cube rule IIRC. Note also that RF shielding != mag shielding; its *very* difficult (if not impossible) to shield from magnetic fields effectively because the coupling is inductive, rather that capacitative as with RF interference.

Re:is it possible?

[KingJoshi]

The article did say that these used 5 times less power then Boeing planes. And if we're just using the same land on the dead train tracks, then we're not hurting the environment more, I assume.

The fact is, we have an Amtrak service that's rarely used, overpriced and slow. I believe consumer demand is low for these reasons, but I'm sure they're not the only ones. That's why I was wondering as to the economic feasibility of it.

US is behind.... as usually?

[axxackall]

The world's first commercial high-speed maglev...

Smart bank cards, GSM in Europe beats US crdit/debit cards and cell phone standards. Now commercial high-speed maglev train.

Why is that? Is there anything wrong with US that it doesn't let the country to lead hi-techs anymore?

Re:Replacement for air travel

[0123456]

Ask the people who live next to a coal-fired power plant that's running it whether they "generate CO2 and other nuisances".

Electricity doesn't magically make it "clean", it just moves the problems elsewhere.

Inductrak?

[Wowbagger5]

What about Inductrak systems? They have much lower maintenance costs, and do not require magnetic shielding. See http://www.llnl.gov/str/Post.html , and http://www.matchrockets.com/ether/halbach.html for halbach arrays.

Re:US is behind.... as usually?

[Anonymous Coward]

It goes like this: You (the U.S. population) adopt a new technology. Europe doesn't catch on until after it has gone mainstream in the U.S., and by that time: the technology has improved, and europe can learn from US' mistakes. Therefore by the time the technology goes mainstream in europe it will be more advanced.

Re:PDA/Disks/MP3-players at risk?

[purdue_thor]

There's no evidence for that -- ever heard of an MRI? Magenetic Resonance Imaging uses magnetic fields that are immensely stronger than this. I work with some huge superconducting magnets and they're all pretty safe. In fact, it seems there's even evidence that magnets help the circulation of blood.

I highly doubt these fields are strong enough on the train... but in the MRI where higher magnetic fields mean better images the only safety concerns come if you have some short of ferromagnetic material in your body. Then an MRI has the potential to rip it right out of your body. I got one recently, and they made sure to ask if I ever did welding or something that might get small metal flakes in the eye as that has the potential to wreak havoc.