The Hyperloop concept has inevitably got a fair amount of attention because one of its early supporters was Elon Musk, the publicity-shy boss of Tesla Motors.

In short, hyperloop is a land-based transportation technology that takes existing mag-lev (magnetic levitation) processes to an extremely powerful (and fast) new level.

Current mag-lev high-speed trains — primarily in Japan and China — rely on systems that are supported by magnetic repulsion and propelled by a linear motor – meaning they are costly, requiring long stretches of copper coil and power supply stations spread along the length of the route network.

Hyperloop reduces the necessary infrastructure by placing the train in a tube and generating movement with magnets. No power stations are necessary, and aluminum is used instead of copper.

One of the companies pushing the idea is Hyperloop One (formerly Hyperloop Technologies), initially proposing to build a line between Los Angeles and Las Vegas.

Test beds are being created in Nevada (here’s a clip with some of the technical aspects) but, inevitably, free-spending organisations in the Middle East want to get in on the action.

So architectural agency BIG has created a design for how a Hyperloop-based might operate and feel for passengers between two cities – in this case, Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Purely conceptual, but clearly a model of ground transportation for the future.