Infograph: Eurostar completes 20 years in service; shows impressive list of numbers and stars who enjoyed the service

November 11, 2014 at 5:25 pm

via The Daily Mail

No doubt. Eurostar is impressive all around and the infograph below captures it all succinctly.. What’s more exciting? The upcoming direct connection between London and Amsterdam starting 2o16? Imagine catching the train with your bike in London and riding around Amsterdam all day in your own bike. Drool!

Image Courtesy: the Daily Mail

 

Check out the Daily Mail article here.

Infograph: How self-driving cars will change our lives

November 5, 2014 at 6:50 pm

Image courtesy: Automoblog

Add this to one of the million other articles you would see around the web that hypes the arrival of self-driving cars and how they are going to change our lives..

Click here to read the accompanying article.

 

USDOT wants your input on the Proposed FHWA 2015 Guidance for Connected Vehicles and the Formation of a V2I Deployment Coalition

October 31, 2014 at 5:13 pm

The Federal Highway Administration plans to produce deployment guidance in 2015 on connected vehicles to transportation infrastructure owner/operators.  Tell us what would best support decision making and deployments at the state and local level.

National Associations including AASHTO, ITE and ITS America are working together to form a Vehicle to Infrastructure(V2I) Coalition.  What type of organization will best meet your needs?

Please provide comments based on the materials distributed on these topics at the September 12, 2014 public meeting including the initial draft guidance, a handout on the proposed coalition, and the list of supporting V2I products/tools under development. The V2I Deployment Guidance Draft is an initial draft document. USDOT is seeking feedback from State and local Departments of Transportation, transit operators, other operating agencies, and infrastructure owners who are starting to plan for the deployment and use of connected vehicle technologies in their area. Any interested parties may provide comments on the initial draft guidance through Friday, November 14, 2014.

Questions to Consider on the Proposed CV Guidance

  • Will the topics covered in the proposed guidance and the companion products being developed provide you with enough support to successfully deploy connected vehicle technologies in your area?
  • Are there additional tools, training, or resources that you would like to see developed?
  • Any other concerns/comments?

Questions to Consider on the V2I Deployment Coalition

  • What are your thoughts about the structure of the proposed coalition?
  • How should associated organizations’ and agencies’ leadership be involved?
  • What challenges are likely to arise and need to be addressed?
  • Any other concerns/comments?

Review source materials and provide comments at: http://www.its.dot.gov/meetings/v2i_feedback.htm by Friday, November 14, 2014.

Fellowship Alert: University Academic Fellow in Vehicle and Road Automation – University of Leeds, UK

October 6, 2014 at 12:24 pm

For informal inquiries about the role please contact Dr Natasha Merat, tel: +44 (0)113 343 6614, email: N.Merat@its.leeds.ac.uk.   

Location:  Leeds – Main Campus
Faculty/Service:  Faculty of Environment
School/Institute:  Institute for Transport Studies
Category:  Academic
Grade:  Grade 8
Salary:  £38,511 to £45,954
Closing Date:  Sunday 16 November 2014
Reference:  ENVTR1005

In a bid to increase road safety, and reduce transport related emissions and congestion, vehicle manufacturers are increasing the degree of automation in cars by adding more systems that provide information and support to the driver. These systems are gradually reducing the driver’s involvement in actual operation of the vehicle, and increasing their potential to engage in other tasks such as reading emails, texting etc. As automation penetration increases, it is not currently clear how humans (in and out of the car) will interact with these systems and what the real consequences of vehicle and road automation are. With its world leading motion-based Driving Simulator, the Institute for Transport Studies has been at the forefront of understanding the human factors challenges these systems pose and proposing innovative new solutions. Members of the Safety and Technology group are currently partners in a number of leading projects in this area, including VRA, AdaptIVe and CityMobil2. Whilst fully automated vehicles remain a way off, initiatives such as the Google driverless car have stimulated a new set of research needs relating to the redesign of traffic systems, legal frameworks, business models and environmental performance.

This fellowship opportunity is in a vibrant research market and you will be expected to develop a research profile that will contribute to the University’s ambition to excel at the UK’s next Research Excellence Framework (REF2020), with a sustained record of internationally excellent (and some world-leading) publications and a strong record of presentations at international conferences.  In partnership with colleagues at ITS, you will be encouraged to build research proposals in this field, exploring avenues beyond the human factors of automated vehicles.

You will be able to apply knowledge from Engineering, Computer Science or other relevant disciplines to understand developments in sensor, radar and control technologies and how humans will interact with the next generation of automated vehicles. A key role of the post will be to strengthen the link between the engineering and human factors aspects of this work. You will have (potential) links with industrial organisations relevant to this field and be encouraged to maximise funding opportunities, for example, from Horizon 2020, the TSB and stakeholder organisations. You will also play a key part in bringing together interests in automation research across the University of Leeds, working closely with colleagues from Psychology, the School of Computing and the Faculty of Engineering, with an aim to build critical mass for contribution to a cross disciplinary PhD training programme in automation.  You will also contribute to current and future Masters teaching at ITS and to the recruitment and supervision of doctoral students in the area.

With a PhD in Computer Science, Robotics, Electronic or Mechanical Engineering or related discipline, and an interest in the human element of systems and automation, you will have a strong research record relevant to vehicle and road automation, the ability to teach at Postgraduate level, as well as a clear and compelling vision for personal academic development.

Click here to apply

[VIDEO] Los Angeles Is Building an e-Highway Demonstration Project to Curb Truck Emissions on Corridor that Connects Ports of LosAngeles and Long Beach to Downtown

October 3, 2014 at 12:30 pm

via CityLab & synapticdigital.com

Los Angeles is preparing to trial a two-way, one-mile e-highway road design project along the diesel truck-dominated Alameda Corridor in an effort to reduce pollution and health-related costs. Officials say the system relies on emission-free electric power delivered through overhead wires to fuel the trucks. The city is partnering with Siemens and the South Coast Air Quality Management District to run the $13 million project set to begin operations in July. The one-mile test of the e-highway system may just be the start. Apparently the various funders are hoping to expand the system along the remaining three miles from the ports to the major railhead, and there are discussions underway about a 20-mile northwest corridor that could connect the ports with inland warehouse complexes. If this first mile test works out, it could help provide a healthier future for high-traffic corridors around the world.

More about the project here.

This is how it works: The catenary infrastructure will be installed on the North and South-bound sections of Alameda Street where it intersects with Sepulveda Boulevard in Carson,California. Up to four trucks will be running in the demonstration, making multiple drives per day. Thanks to an innovative current collector the trucks can connect and disconnect from the catenary system at any speed for dynamic power supply directly to the electric engine and for on-board storage. To further ensure the same flexibility as conventional trucks, the eHighway vehicles use an electric drive system, which can be powered either by diesel, compressed natural gas (CNG), battery or other on-board energy source, when driving outside of the catenary lines.  One big question that bogs me is this: assuming the demonstration is successful, who will pay for the cost of turning over the existing fleet to this hybrid-mode?

A Slideshow (and video) of the Largest Plane Ever Built – Antonov An-225 “Mriya”

August 12, 2014 at 7:55 pm

Someone shared this incredible slideshow (with commentary )of the Antonov An-22 Mriya, the largest plane ever built.  Stunning to say the least.

A few nuggets of data from the slideshow:

  • It takes a crew of 6 people to fly this plane.
  • Wingspan: 88 meters (290 feet) Length: 84 meters (275 feet)
  • 32 wheels supporting a maximum take-off weight of 640 tonnes (1,411,000 pounds).
  • hold up to 300 000 kg of jet fuel; about 98,000 gallons (apparently, the cargo hold is longer than the Wright Brother’s first flight!)

Pretty crazy numbers.  Anyways, enjoy the slide show below.

And here is a video of the plane taking off at the Zurich airport.  To see this beast of a plane gliding in the air is a sight to behold.

 

 

 

Infograph: Amazing Ways the Self-Driving Technology will Change the World

August 12, 2014 at 5:05 pm

via Visual.ly

Infographs are always a nice way to tell a story visually and this one below gets adopts that visual story telling to explain the complex societal impacts that are in the offing as the auto & tech heavy-weights like Google are vying to bring their self-driving technology to the mass market.. Imagine a world with no crashes, no traffic lights and no parking?  Mind boggling stuff for today’s drivers but that future doesn’t seem too distant anymore.. Though I think  Level 4 automation (i.e.,  completely autonomous) is at least a decade away, anyone would get excited about the prospect of not waiting for a light to turn green (or for that matter to not drivearound in circles looking for parking)…

The Amazing Ways The Google Car Will Change the World

The Amazing Ways The Google Car Will Change the World

Road Rage – Uber and Lyft Fighting a Vicious Battle For Market Dominance

August 12, 2014 at 5:01 pm

via WSJ

The ridesharing battle between Uber and Lyft has taken a fierce turn with the companies recruiting each other’s drivers, offering refunds on commissions and canceling rides to clog the system. At the end of the day, the customers are winning (and some may argue otherwise) and the ones who are losing out in  this battle are the taxi companies. The staid old taxi businesses are left wondering how they can remain relevant. Click here to read the entire article.

And an interesting infograph accompanying the WSJ article that succinctly captures the details of this street fight:

Image Courtesy: WSJ

Horse before the carriage? Auto Makers Seek Approval for Driverless Cars in States as Regulators, Insurers Weigh Liability (video)

August 7, 2014 at 5:01 pm

via WSJ

Today’s Wall Street Journal has an interesting piece that covers the various efforts underway in the world of autonomous vehicles (aka driverless cars i lay people speak) and how manufacturers are working with legislators to introduce their products to the tech-hungry driving public at least in a few states across the  country.. here is a video that accompanies that article.

What caught me by surprise is the sheer volume of activity and how certain people are that they will see autonomous vehicles on the roads in just a few short years.. As much as I would like to believe, full automation (Level 4) is still a decade away and we still have a lot of hurdles on the technology, policy and infrastructure side.  As one of the interviewed researchers points out, there are many concerns that dog this challenge incl. the high cost of laser vision, the risk that radar and camera sensors won’t see properly in bad weather, and complex legal issues raised by giving control to a robot. Let’s hope we overcome these hurdles soon because we, as a society, are paying a heavy price in terms of human lives and hard earned treasure as we continue to drive with manual control (~33K people killed on American roads during 2012).

Click here to read the entire article.

Britain steers towards a “driverless” future – UK to allow driverless cars on public roads in January 2015

July 30, 2014 at 5:30 pm

via BBC

Today the British government has announced that testing of automated cars will be allowed on public roads from January next year. The tests are then intended to run for between 18 to 36 months. What more innovative is the approach they have taken to doing this.  The government has invited cities to compete to host one of three trials, which would start at the same time.  Cities interested in hosting the trials have until early October to declare their interest and the Department for Transport has created a £10m fund to cover their costs (BBC says the sum to be divided between the three winners but not sure what the criteria would be for this split). Quite novel! Good to see the British government pushing the envelope on its road safety agenda using the driverless cars. Hope this nudges other EU countries (and the rest of the world) to get their act together and pave way for the automated vehicles.