A pioneering transport system which uses sophisticated computer technology to provide buses on demand may help to solve rural travel problems.
Passengers using the new service benefit from flexible timetables, can influence the journey routes and may be picked up and dropped off on their doorsteps.
The University of Newcastle upon Tyne’s Transport Operations Research Group (TORG) and Northumberland County Council are jointly managing the three-year £750,000 pilot project, w
OxLoc Ltd today announced the launch of the Asset Alert for monitoring condition and location of goods in transit and advising the customer of any problems by a text or e-mail alert. The autonomous tag is self powered with its own battery and can be located easily on an asset or container without expensive installation.
Asset Alert is aimed at Intermodel transportation, containers and wagons and uses a number of external sensors to detect conditions such as temperature, relative humidity an
Between 24 and 26 February, a number of trial flights into Dakar using the EGNOS (European Global Navigation Overlay Service) Test Bed system were carried out to show how the planned provision of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) services over Central Africa could be implemented.
ASECNA (Agence pour la sécurité de la navigation aérienne en ASECNA (Agence pour la SECurité de la Navigation Aérienne en Afrique et à Madagascar) has worked with the European Space Agency, the European Com
As the deadline for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act draws closer, the commuter and passenger trains used in large swaths of the United States remain inaccessible to passengers in wheelchairs. Meanwhile, the elevated platforms many regional rail systems have erected to address this problem have created another, forcing bulky freight shipments off the rails and onto some of the busiest roadways in the nation.
Enter an engineering professor from the University of Pennsylvani
The same in-road detectors that control traffic lights and monitor traffic could soon respond quicker to traffic jams, thanks to software developed by an Ohio State University engineer.
In tests, the software helped California road crews discover traffic jams three times faster than before, allowing them to clear accidents and restore traffic flow before many other drivers would be delayed.
This technology could also provide drivers with the information they need to plan efficient
The public transport authority for the Bizkaian capital of Bilbao and the surrounding area is intent on keeping the service efficient and reliable. To aid them in the task it has commissioned the Etra Norte company to incorporate a GPS (Global Positioning System) into the Bizkaibus fleet of buses. In this way, they can monitor the situation of each vehicle continuously and, at any time, know the exact time it will arrive at a bus stop. Moreover, the application of the system allows changes in the sch
Researchers at the University of Warwick’s Warwick Process Technology Group are leading a programme called “Hydrofueler” to develop technology to connect petrol stations to the normal natural gas supply to fuel hydrogen powered vehicles. The 2.8 million euro EC funded three year research programme has already drawn interest from Exxon Mobil, and BMW.
One of the problems with using hydrogen powered cars is how do you keep their fuel cells supplied with a ready source of hydrogen? The Warwick
A revolutionary new car, which averages more than 200 miles per gallon in the city, is being developed at the University of Southampton.
Postgraduate research student Dennis Doerffel has turned a hatchback into a hybrid electric car. It uses the latest lithium ion batteries linked to a small petrol engine, which cuts in automatically if more power or range is required.
He said: “More than 90 per cent of all car journeys are less than 50 miles long. That is the range of the battery and it
Testing Begins This Winter
The National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) are testing a Web-based system for weather forecasting and winter road treatment that could soon save lives, cut costs, and help keep millions of drivers on the move. Highway officials and road crews in Des Moines and Ames, Iowa, will test the Maintenance Decision Support System (MDSS) February 3 to April 4.
Motor vehicle accidents involving bad weather
Fog-related pileups such as last month’s 71-car collision in Texas could become a thing of the past with roadside “smart beacons” that use the latest wireless technology to sense wrecks and warn motorists of danger ahead.
So say three University of Florida engineering researchers who this month applied for a patent on the concept for the beacons, which would be placed at regular intervals on roadside rights of way and would flash red or yellow lights to indicate a hazard ahead.
Today in Brussels the European Rail Research Advisory Council (ERRAC) presented a comprehensive Strategic Rail Research Agenda (SRRA), which identifies key scientific and technological priorities for both passenger and freight rail transport over the next 20 years.
ERRAC was created one year ago in Cologne, initiated by European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin. It is the first time that a long-term plan for rail research and technological development has been jointly devised a
An innovative engineering project could lead to fewer night-time accidents on badly lit roads.
It is developing a revolutionary way of assessing whether roads are equipped with appropriate levels of streetlighting.
The new assessment system is quicker, cheaper and more comprehensive than methods previously used. It can also help local authorities avoid the cost of unnecessary streetlight replacement.
The project is being carried out by engineers at Queen’s Univers
At best, a yachtsman far out to sea experiences an exhilarating solitude to equal any space traveller. But too much isolation at sea can give rise to loneliness, disorientation and multiple dangers.
A new ESA-developed technology enables boat crews to check their positions, stay in constant contact with shore, receive urgent emergency warnings, and enable friends and family to remotely track them on the internet.
If a boat becomes dangerously water-logged or its power system is o
What happens if fog comes on roads? First of all, visibility falls down, so the risk for a car accident increases, especially on highways. Scientists from Central Aerological Observatory have constructed a special electrostatic filter, which eliminates the fog at a distance up to 10 meters. The filter looks like a metal frame with a precipitation electrode – thin metal plates, separated with high-voltage isolators. It also has a corona-forming electrode of a twisted wire. The unit is grounded with a
Space is the usual business of a space agency, so it may come as a surprise that the European Space Agency (ESA) is giving some attention to road transport.
The agency is designing and building the satellites that will make up the space segment of Galileo, Europe`s own global satellite navigation system. When Galileo becomes fully operational in 2008, road vehicles fitted with special receivers will be able to use signals broadcast by the satellites to determine their positions with u
Last night an innovative ‘airbag’ car jack developed in conjunction with engineers from Sheffield Hallam University won yet another major national award, when Leeroy Brown beat off stiff competition to scoop the coveted Consumer Award at the BBC’s Tomorrows World Awards, in association with NESTA.
He collected the £5000 prize at a glittering awards ceremony, held at London’s Television Centre. Leeroy had secured his place at the awards by winning his round of BBC ONE’s Best Inventions, broa
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