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January 31, 2011 6:42 PM

Did China Just Invent the 21st Century's Coolest Technology?

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CRH2 China Railways High-speed bullet train as it arrives from Hangzhou, at the Shanghai South Railway Station.

(Credit: Getty Images)
Scientists in China say they have successfully produced a model Maglev train that can travel as fast as a plane, according to a report in a Chinese newspaper.

Shuai Bin, a vice dean at the country's Southwest Jiaotong University, told the Global Times that the train would allow passengers to make the trip from Beijing to Guangzhou in under two hours. He said the vacuum magnetic suspension train model reached speeds of between 600 and 1,200 kilometers per hour. By comparison, a flight covering the same distance takes three hours.

If the claim is true, that would mean the Chinese have topped the speed record set by the highest recorded speed of a Maglev train - 581 kilometers per hour - in Japan.

Maglev is industry shorthand for a new class of high-speed trains that use electromagnets to essentially hover over a guideway. The train is propelled by the force of the magnetic field created by electrified coils. Last year, Chengdu Aircraft Industrial (Group) Co. finished work on a Maglev train said to reach speeds up to 500 kilometers per hour.

It's still unclear when real-world implementation of the new technology is planned. You can read more about the story here.

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Add a Comment
by rf35 February 2, 2011 12:01 PM EST
Don't look for this in the USA. Building the required infrastructure would be too expensive and create far too many jobs (the government and their corporate masters are quite satisfied with the current situation). Also, it would not be safer that air travel when it comes to terrorists and would therefore require an equal level of security. The enemies of Western society will attack to produce maximum casualties. It might be even easier to sabotage the track somewhere...they wouldn't even have to board the train. Of course then they'd lose out on the 72 virgins.
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by amerilatino February 1, 2011 9:45 AM EST
It's hard to forsee any outstanding new innovations coming out of the U.S. science and engineering talent community, there will most likely be no more Thomas Edisons, Wright Brothers or Igor Sikorskys, as they will be absorbed and smothered by this country's decaying and bloated corporate, financial and legal systems before they rise into their own. The educational system doesn't look too promising for the would-be's either.
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by actornaught February 1, 2011 12:32 PM EST
Wiki "John Kanzius".

Don't blame education in the US. Most of the talk against it is overblown, and from foxrush media blamers.
by Noval53 February 1, 2011 2:32 AM EST
The US has a 3rd world train system because that's the way the Oil, Auto, and Airline Industries want it. The US Rail system has changed very little since WW II. In fact there were steam locomotives that could and did travel faster than many of the diesel operated engines today. We are not serious about "going green" until we get corrupt politicians out of the way and get fast trains going in the US.
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by xmissile February 1, 2011 2:24 AM EST
This is neither revolutionary nor practical. Imagine the engineering challenge of creating and servicing vacuum rail lines of that magnitude and the repressurization/depressurization chambers req'd for the train? What happens if the passenger compartments suddenly depressurize?
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by amerilatino February 1, 2011 10:05 AM EST
The same was said of pressure caissons, submarines and high-altitude aircraft. We can now afford to pooh-pooh the efforts of other countries to achieve higher innovative, engineering and economic goals while Asians and Europeans enjoy their bullet trains, high-speed catamaran ferries and state-of-the-art waterway, highway and energy production systems, but soon we will not be able to by any means.
by markag55 February 1, 2011 2:12 AM EST
Unfortunately,it's a pity that China can outdo the US, other European countries, and even other Asian countries as far as this type of technology is concerned. It's not new technology; it's just that no other country has taken the lead to make it faster, safer, and simply more economical. In the United States, we can't even get from Boston to Washington, DC in decent time, whether by train or by air. Why don't we make that a priority? Take California, for example. Why is it so difficult to take a train from downtown LA to SF or Sacramento? These are cities where you don't really need a car. Same in Texas: why can't you take a train over easy terrain from Houston to Dallas or Austin or San Antonio; or vice versa? It's mostly flat land with some hill country. No major tunnels need to be constructed. Or, since Texans love their cars as much as Angelenos, why not have "ferry service" which includes cars? Washington State, especially from Seattle, has had this kind of service for years on their true ferries, from Seattle to various islands or to the Olympic Peninsula.

Living in LA, I'd much rather take a high speed train, especially an electromagnetic one, to SF, where one doesn't need a car. What's holding us back?

I think it's a great idea for the future, for the elimination of lots of Carbon Monoxide as well as a host of other pollutants, as well as to get to where you want in less time than to go to LAX and wait in line for security, etc.

Once that LA finally finishes the "subway to the sea," i.e., the "purple" line to Santa Monica, it would be quite easy to transfer at any given spot (Downtown, Western Ave., La Brea, Fairfax, and points west) to get to SF as quickly as possible without the waiting time involved.

I'm not against trade with China; however, I do believe if China gets commissions from other countries, their quality assurance must be addressed. If not, some other country, could easily take their place. It's not only "open" business; it's quality control as well.

China still has a way to go in order to get their quality under control, especially with "high-tech" industries trying to do work in Mainland China.

If we can't count on children's toys being made without lead or cadmium, what can we expect on much higher levels of sophistication? Will China, now that trading is probably the most free of anything, rein in their mistakes (intentional or purposeful) so that other countries can count on Chinese goods to be well-made according to international standards?

This waits to be seen, especially since they've tried so hard, and in so many areas, to circumvent the international standards. Once they know that "First" or even "Second" World countries won't buy Chinese goods because of their haste to make money without quality control. If the Chinese continue along this elusive path, soon no one will want to buy Chinese goods, no matter the price.

China needs to wake up and follow the international rules for toxic substances in their goods, whether it be toys for children, or parts for automobiles or other high cost goods.

Wake up China!!
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by ToolMangler1 January 31, 2011 10:16 PM EST
"Did China Just Invent the 21st Century's Coolest Technology?"


NO!!!! They did not!!!! They took existing tech and improved on it, nothing more.. I wonder how they are going to handle the sonic booms created by this train??
Now if they want to 'invent' the coolest tech, let them perfect teleportation. that will be worth seeing and doing.
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by tomjet911 January 31, 2011 10:49 PM EST
Really are you that stupid? It's in a vacuum dummy! No! no! my butt retard.
by amerilatino February 1, 2011 9:50 AM EST
ToolMangler1-Do you really hope to achieve anything positive at all with that dismissive, sour-grapes attitute over the achievements of other nations? How do you expect thast is going to help our current precarious economic and industrial position?
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