Transportation
A theoretical study of friction between solids that looks at the process just one molecule at a time could soon lead to a more effective way to stop cars in an emergency than simply slamming on the brakes or using ABS. This research is reported today in a special Einstein Year issue of the New Journal of Physics published jointly by the Institute of Physics and the German Physical Society (Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft).
I hope everyone has seen this marvelous item by now! But just in case any folks are still out and about shopping for a thoughtful, large, somewhat unusual holiday gift, or about to purchase a small airplane, for themselves or a loved one, here is a URL of interest at CNN:
Airplane parachute!
I can hardly believe that Ballistic Recovery Systems is already marketing this fantastical invention as standard equipment for small aircraft, and are designing much larger versions - and, they are already being sued for a time the device failed to work! Whenever I next go out shopping for a personal airplane, I intend to make sure I get "one of those, please" included in the package!
When the non-profit organisation Id?eVerte Comp?tition decided to create a 'green' racing car, they turned to space technology to make it safer. Running on liquefied petroleum gas, one of the least polluting fuels, and lubricated with sunflower oil, the car is protected against fire hazards by space materials. 'Green' does not have to mean slow - last week the car set a new speed record of 315 km/h.
Researchers in England have found a promising method for producing hydrogen from sunflower oil, a development that could lead to cleaner and more efficient hydrogen production for powering automobile fuel cells as well as homes, factories and offices. Fuel cells show much promise for supplying the energy needs of the future, and their demand is growing with increasing use of the technology. But one of their drawbacks, experts say, is that the hydrogen required to run them generally comes from the burning of fossil fuels, which generate pollutants such as carbon monoxide and greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane.
The University of Toronto will be initiating a review of the circumstances surrounding a tragic car accident that killed a U of T student during the Canadian Solar Tour on Aug. 12. Andrew Frow, a mechanical engineering student, was driving U of T's Blue Sky Solar Racing car on Highway 7 near Kitchener-Waterloo on Thursday when it was involved in a two-car crash. He was pronounced dead at St. Mary's Hospital in Kitchener later that afternoon.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has certified the first Hybrid SUV for sale in the United States. The Ford Escape Hybrid complies with EPA's stringent new emission standards for light-duty vehicles and trucks, and according to EPA estimates, the 2-wheel drive version gets 36 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. The 4-wheel drive fuel economy is estimated at 33 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. Model-year 2004 SUVs averaged 17.9 mpg.
For many Air Force aircrews, discomfort caused by sitting on extended missions is just part of the job. Col. Kerry Keithcart, a KC-135 Stratotanker pilot for the 434th Air Refueling Wing at Grissom Air Reserve Base, Ind., said he and his crew do what they can to make those longer missions more bearable. ''Some of us try to stretch and that's of some value. We also drink a lot of water to stay hydrated,'' Colonel Keithcart said. ''But when you're sitting in one position for as many as 13 hours at a time, you're going to experience different aches and pains.''
Researchers have developed a novel non-contact method of using ultrasound to detect and measure cracks and flaws in rail track -- particularly gauge corner cracking - that has the potential to simply be attached to a normal passenger or freight train travelling at high speeds.
No one likes a back-seat driver. But imagine having a silent ''co-pilot'' in your car that isn't a pest but can save your life, as well as those of your passengers and those in the path of your vehicle. That's what EyeQ, a computer chip developed by an Israeli is capable of doing.
CSIRO scientists have discovered a new process which could soon lead to the production of aluminium cars and planes that get stronger the longer they are left to 'bake' in the sun.
Dr Roger Lumley of CSIRO Elaborately Transformed Metals (CETM) says the new process involves curing, or age-hardening, aluminium to a point where the curing process can be completed by exposure to sunlight rather than in a furnace.
Speed is the name of the game in the world of racing and now scientists have developed a technique that 'breeds' winning Formula One cars. By applying Darwinian principles to the art of motor racing, the researchers demonstrate in simulations that it's possible to knock crucial tenths of a second off lap time by tailoring a car's setup to whatever conditions are faced on the track. In a paper to be presented later this month at a conference in Seattle, researchers will report on a new computer model based on genetic algorithms that optimises performance by selectively combining the best settings of Formula One cars to produce the ultimate configuration.
When a car crash occurs, people with osteoporosis and other brittle bone disorders often suffer more serious injuries. To better protect these ''fragile'' motorists, three Johns Hopkins undergraduate engineering students have devised a harness and vest system that significantly reduced impact forces when tested on a high-tech crash dummy.
In the first use ever of a new three-dimensional technique to study diesel engine emissions, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory developed information that could lead to improved exhaust-cleaning devices, ways for industry to meet environmental regulations, and new insights on the impact to public health from diesel engine emissions.
NASA's successful X-43A hypersonic research aircraft flight resulted in a treasure trove of scramjet data. The initial data review, conducted on March 31, confirmed high-fidelity flight data was obtained throughout the vehicle's boost, stage separation and descent to splash down. "The data clearly shows, and without question, that scramjets work," said X-43A chief engineer Griff Corpening of NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC), Edwards, Calif. "But we did see a couple of areas that differed from what was seen in the wind tunnels, thus reinforcing the need for flight testing," he said.
The buildup of ice on airplanes in flight is a major winter hazard for small and commuter planes. But scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, Colo., are testing a new system this month that may pinpoint water droplets in clouds that cause icing, potentially enabling pilots to avoid dangerous areas. The system, known as S-Polka, combines two existing radars that use different wavelengths. By studying the differences between the images that are reflected back to each radar, scientists hope to find tiny water droplets that are difficult to distinguish using either radar alone.
