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Virgin Unveils Hyperloop Pod Design, the Raised Aisles Seem Like a Bad Idea

By Rain Noe - January 28, 2021

in Tech

This week Virgin unveiled the design of their Hyperloop pods. The pods were designed by Teague, and have a puzzling feature: The aisle is elevated, meaning you must step down to reach the seats, and step up to get out of them.

I can't fathom why they'd do this. The explanation provided by John Barratt, Teague CEO & President, is that "Recessed seat wells provide a greater sense of space, while the raised aisle is a touch of the unexpected and unique."

First off, I would imagine climbing down into a seat would actually feel more cramped, in addition to being unnecessarily inconvenient. I'm thinking specifically of the elderly or people with mobility issues, for whom even small steps become something that must be navigated. On top of which, if luggage is allowed in the passenger compartment, you've now got to hoist your rolling carry-on up or down the step.

As for the raised aisle providing "a touch of the unexpected and unique," I'm not sure people want either of those things for something as simple as getting in and out of a seat.

There is a shot of a wheelchair in one rendering--but you can't see the floor in it, so it's not clear how the designers have addressed this; is the wheelchair on a dedicated patch of floor that is level with the aisle? Is there a stop to prevent the wheelchair user from accidentally rolling a wheel off of the edge while entering or exiting the space?

Virgin has also released a video depicting the passenger experience they envision. Notably, at no point is anyone shown actually climbing in or out of the seats:

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You folks have any thoughts?

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Michael Denham

3 years ago

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I would imagine it is set at that height as the rail runs through the middle and they have dropped the seating area so someone can stand in those areas without hitting their heads on the curved roof, but it sounds sexier to make it a 'design decision'

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Walter Davis

3 years ago

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Someone watched the "shuttle to the space station" portion of 2001, and thought that was a neat design feature.

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- Sean Horita
  
  Walter Davis
  
  3 years ago
  
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  My thoughts exactly! With the velcro shoe soles!
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Simon Flummox

3 years ago

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The video shows the pods supported from above, making the raised center aisle even more puzzling. And that wheelchair pic is hilarious- is that element not scaled correctly to the environment, or is everything in Hyperloop world just too damn narrow?

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Wubbo Jong

3 years ago

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I'm not sure when you are one of the first passengers to use the hyperloop you want something 'unexpected and unique' to happen. I'd rather choose for: expected and safe.

Also, aren't the first hyperloops used for container transports? So when they start transporting living people we'll be twenty years further, so enough time for a redesign.

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Zach W

3 years ago

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Kudos to Teague for reversing accessibility design for the sake of aesthetics. Nice to see all that hard work on inclusive spaces really paying off......

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