Turkish Signature on Elon Musk's 'Hyperloop' Project

UMD Loop, an engineering team backed by Tesla and SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk, will utilize surface technology developed by a Turkish firm for dental implants in the "Hyperloop" project, described as "the future's ultra-high-speed transport system." DTİ İmplant, operating at Gebze TÜBİTAK Marmara Teknokent, uses surface technology developed jointly with TÜBİTAK in the implants it exports to numerous countries. The technology in question creates macro-roughness on the implant surface, maximizing bone retention. The surface, called "SLA Active," is created after implants undergo sandblasting and acid-etching processes, then are subjected to plasma treatment. Thus, the implant surface acquires a hydrophilic property (liquid adhesion to surface) that attracts water, blood and bone cells. The surface with liquid-attracting properties reduces healing time following application. The UMD Loop team will also benefit from DTİ İmplant's surface technology in bonding components within the tunnel boring machine and transport vehicle as part of the "Hyperloop" project. Plasma surface technology will be used to remove residual particles remaining on component surfaces. This aims to extend the lifespan of the machine's different bonded parts.  

Developed with TÜBİTAK

DTİ İmplant General Manager Dr. Talat Buğur stated that they market dental implants resulting from the TÜBİTAK project worldwide. Buğur noted that they conduct operations at Gebze TÜBİTAK Marmara Teknokent, sell 40 percent of production abroad, and export to nearly 30 countries, particularly Switzerland and the United States. Emphasizing that they developed surface-related properties of dental implants together with TÜBİTAK's Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Institute, Buğur continued: "Apart from SLA surface, the dental implant surface we call 'SLA Active' is unique in the world. In dry surface production, we are unique worldwide. This enables a faster healing process after the implant is placed in the jaw bone." Drawing attention to the fact that the implant undergoes acid-etching after sandblasting for SLA surface, Buğur continued: "To take this further, we use plasma technology. This is a technology that we can call the fourth state of matter. In other words, we can say that besides solid, liquid and gas states, there is a plasma state. Here we make the surface hydrophilic, and it is a technology that eliminates all residues remaining on the surface. Since implants are used in place of tooth roots, the implant is expected to have properties similar to bone cells for bone retention. For this reason, pores the size of bone cells are created on the implant surface in implant surface treatment processes. Bone cells adhere to the implant surface, supporting the implant to serve as an artificial tooth root. Additionally, by increasing the implant's surface energy and making the surface hydrophilic, bone retention improves, increasing surgical success in the early healing phase. This surface activation process is specific to our company and is designated as SLA Active technology."  

Work will commence very soon

Talat Buğur pointed out that significant progress has been made with this technology they possess, stating: "Elon Musk is an entrepreneur who invests in the future and works on future technologies. He has a project called 'Hyperloop.' He is trying to implement a high-speed underground mass transit system that will take passengers from Washington to New York in 29 minutes." Explaining that the "Hyperloop" project subsequently aims to drill a tunnel between New York and Los Angeles to provide transport via a kind of "underground shuttle," Buğur continued: "Two machines are planned to be used in this project, one drilling the tunnel and the other moving as an underground shuttle in a vacuum environment within the tunnel. With The Boring Company and researchers from UMD Loop at the University of Maryland, we entered into a collaboration regarding their desire to use the surface technology we have achieved in these two machines. We are collaborating in an Elon Musk-funded project with the technology we use in dental implants."   Source