via Autoblog

Google has filed a patent that would see drivers use gestures to control a vehicle, according to a report from Engadget. The system, if it ever arrives in the automobile, would use a depth camera mounted on the roof of the car and a laser scanner. Looks like automotive technology will be taking a giant leap in the days ahead when Google gets it in their driverless cars. One thing that is not noted in the Autoblog article is Google’s recent acquisition of Flutter, a startup that makes a desktop app of the same name that allows users to control other applications using hand gestures.  Information Week offers a few more details: Flutter works by capturing the user’s hand gesture on a computer’s webcam and then translating the gesture, using image processing techniques, into a specific command in supported applications. It can be used, for example, to play and pause songs playing in iTunes on a Mac or Windows computer with just a wave of the hand.

Click here to read more here.

Image courtesy: United States Patent and Trademark Office via Autoblog

The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI) seeks qualified and ambitious human factors professionals with a strong background in psychology and engineering to assess the system-wide impact of innovative transportation technologies. The ideal candidate is an experienced researcher capable of independently running transportation projects and working in multidisciplinary teams to improve transportation safety through cutting-edge research.

Research projects range from test-track experiments using a single vehicle to large-scale naturalistic driving studies that involve collecting data from hundreds of vehicles on public roadways. Research projects often use VTTI’s internally-developed data acquisition system (DAS). The DAS enables unobtrusive measurement of driver behavior, vehicle operation, and the environment. The collected data are analyzed to address specific research questions that typically focus on existing transportation problems (e.g. crash causation) and/or the performance/development of advanced vehicle systems (e.g. crash warning and autonomous vehicle technologies). Questionnaire, focus group, and survey data collection methods may also be used in these experiments. This position is expected to predominantly focus on research and development relating to driver interaction with automated vehicle systems, such as automated driving systems and automated collision warning/avoidance systems.

The successful applicant will perform work involving conventional human factors research practices, however the work includes a variety of complex features such as working with fluctuating requirements, cycles of field and/or office work, and developing and implementing novel approaches to evaluating transformative transportation technologies. The employee will contribute to the conceptualization of research and proposal development with principal investigators. With assistance, the successful applicant will manage the day-to-day operations of research projects including: literature reviews, research design, research execution, data analysis, report writing, presentations, and publications.

Experience with human factors research in transportation or related fields and expertise in statistical analyses is preferred. Proficiency with data collection and working knowledge of analysis software packages is desired. The applicant must be interested in improving transportation safety and be willing to work on multiple projects in a fast paced research environment. VTTI provides opportunities for professional advancement and a pay for performance structure.

Assignments include:

• Aid in the development of proposals
• Research and assist in the composition of literature reviews
• Assist with the conceptualization and creation of work plans, protocols, and procedures
• Review and critique research plans and reports
• Coordinate and collaborate with subcontractors and interface with stakeholders
• Manipulate and analyze data
• Interpret results and develop robust conclusions
• Write research reports
• Present research findings
• Travel to research sites (requirement fluctuates but will generally be <15%)

Directions given and received:

Receive instructions on project objectives, feedback on proposed research plans, and project logistics from principal investigators and project managers. May supervise or coordinate the work of graduate research assistants, students, technicians, and others who assist in specific assignments. Must be able to work effectively independently as well as within multidisciplinary project teams as appropriate.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering with a Human Factors specialization or equivalent. Candidates with a lesser degree and significant experience in lieu of master’s degree will also be considered.
• Experience in transportation or related field is desired
• Thorough understanding of experimental design and methods
• Proficiency with descriptive and inferential statistical analysis techniques
• Basic understanding of electrical and mechanical systems
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Strong organizational skills
• Willingness to work in a fast-paced flexible research environment
• Proficiency with programming languages including Matlab and SQL is desired.

Click here to learn more and to apply

Reposted with permission from Cecile Felon at ABB Conversations

Image Courtesy: via ABB Conversations

Last week, a friend of mine said to me “Hey Cecile, we’re in 2013 and you don’t have a car!” So far I must say that people around me have made me feel unconventional, an outsider in a way. But surprisingly – at least for me – I’ve learned that I am actually one of a growing number of people who have decided to abandon car ownership and even driving. This is happening in the USA and in Europe…

How to explain in short that I don’t need a car?
Actually (historically) I’ve never owned a vehicle. OK, I got my licence at the age of 19 but being a student at that time, I could not afford to buy my own. On the other hand, I’ve always lived in cities where the public transport is easily available.

So what?
I’ve got the life style that goes along with my “no car situation”. Today my home is close to the bus, tram and rail lines. I commute every day to work. In the evening and at week-ends I enjoy my neighborhood as well as the city of Geneva. If I want to visit my family or friends living outside Geneva I rent a car, same for holiday road trips. I am also thinking of a car sharing option should I need one for few hours – this service is available just around the corner.

Does it sound familiar to you?
The European Mobility Week, which runs from 16 to 22 September every year, is the most widespread event inviting everybody to try out alternatives to car use. ABB is joining the movement. What about you?

About the author

Cecile Felon – Img. Courtesy: ABB Conversations

I’m the global communications manager for the rail business of ABB, based in Geneva, Switzerland. My focus is on innovative and energy-efficient technologies for sustainable rail and road public transportation. When not working, I enjoy the city of Geneva. I have a growing interest in dynamic and creative cities from around the world shaping the future of mobility.

via Journal of Commerce

Did you know?

• Truck driving is the eighth most dangerous occupation in the U.S., based on fatality rates per 100,000 workers.
• For all workers, transportation was dangerous. Transportation incidents accounted for two out of five workplace deaths in 2012.
• Truck drivers had a 22.1 fatality rate in 2012, according to preliminary data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Image courtesy: Journal of Commerce

Ford is giving customers the chance to wrap their 2014 Ford Fiestas in bacon to celebrate International Bacon Day (August 31). The wraps are available along with Ford’s other less-delicious looking wraps on the Fiesta graphics website. Prices start at $78 plus installation.  I wonder what will happen if such a vehicle arrives in the Middle East, where pork is a strict no no.

Bacon wrapped Horsepower – Image courtesy: Time.com 

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/08/28/finally-you-can-wrap-your-ford-in-bacon/#ixzz2dKA8bUBl

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• The Bacon-Wrapped Fords Are Here!

via Huffingtonpost

Apparently this is how the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (covers U.S. Customs and Border Patrol) takes care of imported vehicles with falsified documentation.. As Huffingtonpost notes,  this Land Rover Defender reached the Port of Baltimore with falsified identification numbers, claiming to be an older model.  But when the USCBP folks found out that this model is in fact newer and tinkered with to look “vintage”, they decided to junk it because it does not comply with National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency regulations.  The seized vehicle — estimated to be worth $25,000 overseas but as much as $150,000 in the U.S. — was considered “illegal and unsafe,” officials said. Such a non-compliant vehicle cannot be imported unless it is at least 25 years old, officials said.   It seems that dozens of similar Defender vehicles have been seized in recent months at ports around the country and one can only imagine the rivers of tears shed by the owners when they learned the fate.

It screams efficiency (Image source: Imgur via Reddit)

It is only appropriate to see something like this from the land of engineering and efficiency.  Apparently someone caught this rich German (yeah, that’s a Porsche Boxster Spyder in the trailer below the boat) traveling in some part of Sweden (one heck of a comfy camping trip)

Yeah.. Seems like a sound transportation advice but one that can get you in a lot of trouble with the law..Nevertheless, it is funny and fitting for the environment in which it is spotted.

Sound advice but one you better NOT try. Image Courtesy: Imgur via Reddit