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Category: transportation – Page 9

Friction that cools: Threshold effects enable self-stopping robot swarms

How can a horde of active robots be automatically brought to a standstill? By arresting their dynamics in a self-sustained way. This phenomenon was discovered by physicists at Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf (HHU) and La Sapienza University in Rome. The threshold principle of static friction with the ground plays a decisive role here: it removes the kinetic energy of two robots after a mutual collision so efficiently that they can no longer set themselves in motion.

The researchers describe in the journal Nature Communications that this fundamental effect can also be used to construct controllable moving systems.

Friction creates heat, as anyone knows who has rubbed their hands together in winter weather. And costs energy. Road friction on vehicle tires, for example, will cause a moving car to steadily slow down unless the accelerator is used.

Israeli-made flying cars may be floating into our future

For nearly 60 years, the dream of flying cars that many Baby Boomers grew up on while watching TV’s George Jetson jet around the skyways has remained unfulfilled.

But the dream is still alive. A dozen startups around the world are developing VTOLs (“vertical takeoff and landing”) – the technical term for flying cars.

One of the most intriguing of those companies is right here in Israel. Yavneh-based Urban Aeronautics is developing CityHawk to be an eventual “Uber of the air.”

Packed particles power up: Physicists discover particles that accelerate when crowded

What if particles don’t slow down in a crowd, but move faster? Physicists from Leiden worked together and discovered a new state of matter, where particles pass on energy through collisions and create more movement when packed closely together.

We all know crowds of people, or cars in a traffic jam—when it gets too crowded, all you can do is stand still. Until now, scientists have mainly studied cases of large groups just like this, which slow down when they get too close to each other.

But what if the opposite happens? What if could start moving more when packed together? That question hadn’t been studied much—until now. Physicists Marine Le Blay, Joshua Saldi and Alexandre Morin from Leiden University do research in the field of active matter physics—they observe and analyze the collective behaviors that emerge when large groups of particles are packed together.

Transportation @ PNNL: Eliminating Critical Materials in Batteries

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on its distinguishing strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science to advance scientific knowledge and address challenges in energy resiliency and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle and supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit the DOE Office of Science website. For more information about PNNL, visit PNNL’s News Center. Follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

“Unlimited range” stealth ebike never needs plugging in

:3year 2019

If e-bikes tend to look a little ungainly for your tastes, check out this thing from Barcelona’s Nua Bikes. With the motor, sensors and battery built into a discreet hub unit, the Nua Electrica is barely distinguishable from a regular fixie, and its innovative “self-charging” mode means you can get away without ever charging it.

Weighing in at just 13 kg thanks to a full titanium frame, the Nua Electrica is the stealthiest single-speed e-bike we’ve seen to date. It uses a very cool motor/battery combo unit that we suspect we’ll be seeing a lot more of in the coming months and years.

The Zehus Bike+ is an all-in-one hub unit that weighs just 3 kg (6.6 lb) and fits into any frame with a rear wheel dropout 120 mm (4.7 in) or wider. It contains a 250-watt motor, a 160-watt-hour battery, several sensors, a Bluetooth communications system and all the electronics required to run an e-bike.

A high-tech park is being built in Killeen

The establishment of a new business park in Killeen is underway.

Wolf Technology Park is set to inhabit 94-acres of real estate located on Texas Highway 195 in south Killeen.

“Wolf Technology Park is a cornerstone of our strategy to attract next-generation employers to Killeen,” Tyler Robert, vice president of the Killeen Economic Development Corporation, said. “With infrastructure investments already in place and sites ready for development, the park is well-positioned to support advanced manufacturing, federal services, health and life sciences, research and development, cybersecurity and semiconductor-related industries.”

Automaker clears major hurdle with first-of-its-kind flying vehicle: ‘The road to aircraft certification is broad and complex’

SkyDrive, a Toyota-affiliated startup in Japan, has crossed a major hurdle on the path to bringing flying cars to everyday life.

According to New Atlas, the company’s electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft, the three-seat “SkyDrive,” has officially been issued a G-1 certification basis by the Japan Civil Aviation Bureau — a critical step toward full approval and commercial use.

“The road to aircraft certification is broad and complex, particularly for new aircraft such as eVTOLs,” the company noted, adding that this latest agreement “provides further clarity and direction.”

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