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TECHNOLOGY NEWS * WORLDWIDE
* Sweden - Swedish car manufacturer Volvo invents car that can brake, accelerate and steer itself in slow moving traffic
Stockholm,Sweden -The Herald Sun, by Joshua Dowling -October 24, 2012: ... Volvo has already developed a system that eliminates low-speed crashes - by automatically slamming the brakes if the driver is about to hit the car in front... Now it has taken the technology a step further so the car can accelerate gently and "follow" the vehicle in front, taking the hassle out of stop-start driving in peak hour... Some radar cruise control systems on top-end luxury cars have a similar stop-and-go feature – but are only active when the speed is set above 50km/h... Volvo has advanced the idea by making it work at speeds less than 50km/h... The technology will be ready in less than two years – but it’s likely to be delayed until legislation changes make it legal to use on Australian roads, where rules currently state that a driver "must be in control of a vehicle"...
* Japan - Nissan developing "fatigue-free" car seats
Nishi-ku,Yokohama,Japan -Gizmag, by Ben Coxworth -October 23, 2012: ... Engineers at Nissan, they’ve designed a new type of seat that they claim requires less physical effort to use, thus lessening driver fatigue and discomfort... Nissan looked at NASA studies, in which the human body was observed to take on a neutral posture when in a weightless environment – that is apparently the position that the body wants to adopt by default. By contrast, the automaker claims that conventional seats force us into an unnatural posture. As long as we’re sitting in that position, we have to exert certain muscles in order to compensate for it...
* France - Renault launch new driving programme
Paris,France -Irish Trucker -23 October 2012: -- Truck Fuel Eco Driving, the new application developed by Renault Trucks, enables anyone to practice eco-driving an HGV on their SmartPhone or tablet. This is a serious game for learning how to anticipate the characteristics of the road and reduce consumption without compromising efficiency... The Truck Fuel Eco Driving game developed by Renault Trucks and unveiled on video simulators at the IAA Motor Show in Hanover is now available for SmartPhones and tablets. Based on the type of conditions truck drivers actually have to cope with on the road, this application puts the player behind the wheel of a Premium Long Distance pulling a 40 tonne load, with the objective of driving it as fast and as economically as possible... Ten missions, with 10 different levels of difficulty, take the player over routes in urban or periurban areas, on motorways or combinations of these environments. At the beginning of each mission, players are given a set of specific objectives. For example, they are asked to manage their consumption when going uphill and downhill or when negotiating city traffic...
* Michigan / USA - Vehicle-to-Infrastructure Technology, On The Road In Germany
Detroit,MICH,USA -The Car Connection, by Richard Read -Oct 24, 2012: -- Last week, Dykema released results from its 2012 Automotive Institute Survey, which polled 100 auto executives about their thoughts on the industry's future. Among the most interesting findings was the fact that respondents seemed more interested in vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology -- that is, technology that allows cars to communicate with infrastructure elements, like stop lights -- rather than the vehicle-to-vehicle systems (V2V) that often litter the headlines... Wired has posted a new clip of such a V2I system at work in Germany. There, technicians equipped a BMW with a transceiver that communicates with infrastructure elements and emergency vehicles... As the author points out, this V2I test program is different from many of the V2V systems we've seen. The latter are generally intended to improve driver safety. In fact, the Department of Transportation believes that V2V systems could bring America's already-low auto fatality rate much lower... V2I systems have safety implications, too -- for example, by alerting drivers to upcoming red lights. However, the German V2I test is currently focused on easing traffic flow and helping drivers save gas...
Labels: cars technonews, techno trucks
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