Transportation

White House explains Bush's hydrogen car plan

In his State of the Union address, President Bush announced a $1.2 billion Freedom Fuel initiative to reverse America?s growing dependence on foreign oil by developing the technology for commercially viable hydrogen-powered fuel cells to power cars, trucks, homes and businesses with no pollution or greenhouse gases. The Freedom Fuel initiative will include $720 million in new funding over the next five years to develop the technologies and infrastructure to produce, store, and distribute hydrogen for use in fuel cell vehicles and electricity generation. Combined with the FreedomCAR (Cooperative Automotive Research) initiative, President Bush is proposing a total of $1.7 billion over the next five years to develop hydrogen-powered fuel cells, hydrogen infrastructure and advanced automotive technologies.

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FDA approves wheelchair by Segway inventor Kamen

Ibot The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the sale of a new wheelchair that enables users to operate on two wheels, allowing them to better negotiate obstacles like stairs and uneven pavement. Powered by a rechargeable battery that can operate up to a full day on a single charge, the wheelchair uses an integrated system of electronic, sensor and software components to automatically adjust itself according to the seat's movement and the user's center of gravity. These components are accompanied by a backup system to assure the safety of the user. It was invented by Dean Kamen, founder of DEKA Research and Development Corporation, best known for the two-wheeled Segway transporter.

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Engineers create simple method for analyzing car designs

It may be too late for this one, however Engineers have developed a new mathematical formula that can spot flaws in automobile designs before they get to the costly assembly line stage. Engineers now use complicated models in which numerous car parts are represented by mathematical expressions that must take into consideration many precise mechanical details. The models have to include information such as the mass of components, their stiffness and dampening characteristics, and the exact forces involved. These models are themselves flawed, the researchers believe, because they rely on approximations about the characteristics and interactions of automotive parts. "A major difference in our method is that we don't use approximations," said one of the Purdue team. "We have found that you don't need to know all of those parameters."

Th!nk we made a mistake

Ford's foray into the realm of pure electric cars tanked this week, as the company has decided to discontinue the golf-cart sized "vehicle." A Ford spokesman blamed poor customer demand and lack of government support; ridiculous design was not mentioned. Ford sunk nearly $125 million into the failed project before pulling the plug. Get one last look at the "future" here.

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NASA, Northwest team on mind-reading tech

Dem is a no good bunch. Ms. Cleo scan fa free. This is something that's been talked about for years, though before Sept. 11 it was always in the context of a bank or high-security government facility, not Northwest Airlines. The upshot of this Washington Times article is that NASA and Northwest are teaming to see if mind-reading technology is feasible, and if so, can it be used to mass-screen airline passengers. Opinion is mixed, and no one in this article addresses the pharmaceutical countermeasures that could potentially be employed to calm a guilt- or panic-ridden brain and heart. Still, plenty creepy.

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All aboard! Segway faces key test

Helmet required. Dignity optional. Remember Segways, those nifty electric scooters that resemble "lawn mowers on steroids"? The San Jose Mercury News reports that a key piece of legislation that would allow them on California sidewalks faces a showdown today in the state's assembly. And the outcome could make or break the transporter's future in the nation's most populace state. Who opposes the proposed five-year experiment? Advocates for senior citizens, the disabled and pedestrians, who say the bill would turn California sidewalks into raceways. In support? Segway, naturally. Silicon Valley venture capitalist John Doerr. And geeks from San Diego to Yuba City.

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Attention passengers, this is your car

One man can make a difference. Michael Knight, a lone crusader in a dangerous world. The world... of the Knight Rider. David Hasselhoff would be proud. Under a deal signed with IBM, future models of the Honda Accord will let drivers talk to their car's computer to locate nearby gas stations and restaurants. Better still, the car will answer back, using its stereo system to provide driving directions. The voice recognition system is based on Big Blue's ViaVoice product, which the company says understands different speech accents and has a large vocabulary.

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