http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/vehicles/ Amazing vehicles. Read news articles on unmanned ground combat vehicles to a single-molecule car. Also, new technology to enhance existing vehicles. en-us Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:05:01 EST Wed, 03 Dec 2008 02:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/vehicles/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081130210531.htm It's a bird, it's a plane, it's ... both! While aircraft have always borne a resemblance to their feathered counterparts in the sky, new research is bringing the two even closer together. Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081130210531.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081125161542.htm No one needs to tell Disney, which brought the likes of Herbie the Love Bug and Lightning McQueen to the big screen, that cars have personality. "Cars seem to have consistent personality traits associated with them, and ... this is similar to the way people perceive facial expressions," said one of the researchers. Mon, 01 Dec 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081125161542.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117091633.htm Hybrid and electric vehicles do not emit the sounds pedestrians and bicyclists are accustomed to hearing as a vehicle approaches them. Human factors/ergonomics researchers examined participants' preferences for sounds that could be added to quiet vehicles to make them easier to detect. Wed, 19 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081117091633.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081110153704.htm Research published in the International Journal of Vehicle Design, the team describes how a new vehicle spoiler design can improve fuel consumption as well as vehicle handling. Tue, 18 Nov 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081110153704.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081118100725.htm Population growth and significant increases in development across the country are leading to changes in traffic and driving behavior in many areas where motorists share the road with farmers moving their equipment -- changes that worry some members of the agriculture community. Now researchers have found a number of risk factors associated with accidents involving farm vehicles, which could point the way toward changes that will better protect farmers and motorists. Tue, 18 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081118100725.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081113181312.htm It's not much bigger than a softball and weighs just 2 pounds. But the "pico satellite" being designed and built in a University of Florida aerospace engineering laboratory may hold a key to a future of easy access to outer space -- one where sending satellites into orbit is as routine and inexpensive as shipping goods around the world. Sun, 16 Nov 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081113181312.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081113111337.htm French and Portuguese partners, working together in the EUREKA-funded SAFEDRIVE project, have developed an important new satellite navigation-based system for managing airport ground traffic. Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081113111337.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081109074858.htm A new automotive safety systems will alert drivers to potential hazards by using information from the car, other road users and the roadside infrastructure to predict and prevent traffic accidents. Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081109074858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081110091555.htm In warehouses, tidiness is a flexible term. Storage areas can be rearranged or moved around at any time. Forklift trucks will soon make it easy to follow the material flow and keep an overview in the warehouse – automatically and with no special effort. Mon, 10 Nov 2008 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081110091555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081103091030.htm A road construction barrier falls over: The car driver can't avoid it, since there are cars on the lane next to him. In future, a new software program will enable cars to coordinate maneuvers together in dangerous situations. Sat, 08 Nov 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081103091030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081103145111.htm Drivers worldwide soon will be able to navigate dangerous road conditions more safely, due to new sensor technology. The 1.7 millimeter-wide device helps stabilize automobiles, allowing them to pass safely through hazardous conditions such as sharp turns and slippery roads that could result in a rollover. Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081103145111.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081104084215.htm Researchers have shown that an alloy of the metals magnesium, titanium and nickel is excellent at absorbing hydrogen. This light alloy brings us a step closer to the everyday use of hydrogen as a source of fuel for powering vehicles. A hydrogen ‘tank’ using this alloy would have a relative weight that is sixty percent less than a battery pack. Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081104084215.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081023100554.htm When Andy Green puts his foot on the accelerator and tries to break the land speed record in 2011, he can be sure that some of the UK's top scientists have done everything possible to make sure he achieves his goal, and is safe in the process. Fri, 24 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081023100554.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006112101.htm Researchers have developed a low-cost, high-resolution imaging system that can be attached to a helicopter to create a complete and detailed picture of an area devastated by a hurricane or other natural disaster. The resulting visual information can be used to estimate the number of storm refugees and assess the need for health and humanitarian services. Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006112101.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081013112557.htm Unmanned helicopters could soon be a key part of emergency relief operations, as well as bringing a new dimension to filmmaking, thanks to some innovative work done by European researchers. Thu, 16 Oct 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081013112557.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172253.htm Researchers are developing a new robotic system to service more than 8,000 satellites now orbiting the Earth, beyond the flight range of ground-based repair operations. Currently, when the high-flying celestial objects malfunction -- or simply run out of fuel -- they become "space junk" cluttering the cosmos. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002172253.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081013140010.htm Paleontologists and aeronautical engineers have developed a 30-inch robotic spy plane modeled after a 225 million-year-old pterodactyl. Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081013140010.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081010092324.htm Metal sheets are getting thinner and stronger all the time, and new production processes are called for. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Machine Tools and Forming Technology IWU in Chemnitz are relying on predictive process monitoring to eliminate faults during production as far as possible. Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081010092324.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008231029.htm NASA scientists developing the next generation of exploration vehicles and heat shields for NASA's Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle experienced "Christmas in July" when they uncrated the heat shields used on the Apollo missions some 35 years ago. These shields now are being analyzed to help with the development and engineering process. Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081008231029.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006170531.htm Researchers in Greece report design of a new material that almost meets the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) 2010 goals for hydrogen storage and could help eliminate a key roadblock to practical hydrogen-powered vehicles. Wed, 08 Oct 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081006170531.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081007102843.htm New lightweight and portable robot is designed to perforate holes in large-scale aeronautic components, such as aircraft wing spars, during their assembly stage. The main innovation that the robot brings is its mobility – enabling the aircraft component being worked on to be fixed to its tool holder while the robot moves over the part. Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081007102843.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081005192357.htm NASA is developing technologies that will allow lunar landers to automatically identify and navigate to the location of a safe landing site while detecting landing hazards during the final descent to the surface. This is important because future lunar missions will need this capability to be able to land safely near specific resources that are located in potentially hazardous terrain. Mon, 06 Oct 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081005192357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002103649.htm Scientists have reached back in time 115 million years to one of the most successful flying creatures in Earth's history -- the pterodactyl -- to conjure a robotic spy plane with next-generation capabilities. Sun, 05 Oct 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/10/081002103649.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925111836.htm A simple device which attaches to a vehicles fuel line near the fuel injector and creates an electrical field could boost gas efficiency as much as 20 percent. Fri, 26 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925111836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925114508.htm As a car accelerates up and down a hill then slows to follow a hairpin turn, the airflow around it cannot keep up and detaches from the vehicle. This aerodynamic separation creates additional drag that slows the car and forces the engine to work harder. The same phenomenon affects airplanes, boats, submarines, and even your golf ball. Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080925114508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922100156.htm A new study investigated whether people ascribed certain traits to cars, as they do to human faces. One-third of the subjects associated a human or animal face with at least 90 percent of the cars. All subjects marked eyes (headlights), a mouth (air intake/grille), and a nose in more than 50 percent of the cars. Overall, people agreed which type of car possesses certain traits. The authors found that people liked cars most which had a wide stance, a narrow windshield, and/or widely spaced, narrow headlights. Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080922100156.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917175046.htm Iowa State University's Song-Charng Kong and his students are working to reduce emissions in diesel engines, develop a computer model of a gasoline engine and optimize new engine technologies. The results could be cleaner, more efficient engines in our cars and trucks. Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917175046.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917145401.htm National size guidelines for all-terrain vehicles (ATV) are inadequate to ensure the safety of young riders, according to preliminary results from a study by researchers at the University of Kentucky. Tue, 23 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917145401.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080919073321.htm You might think that shaking and freezing a state-of-the-art, meticulously crafted machine is a bad idea. But when it comes to firing telescopes and their instruments into the frigid cold of space, the more you test your hardware, the better. Tue, 23 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080919073321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917074130.htm A team of engineers in the Canary Islands has designed the “Verdino”, a self-steering vehicle that can sense the road surface using a technique called Ant Colony Optimisation. This method is based on the behaviour used by ants to find the shortest way between their ant hill and sources of food. Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917074130.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917074132.htm Spanish highways are increasingly incorporating walkways specially designed for wild animals, or mixed use structures designed for other purposes, which connect wildlife from one side of the road to the other. Researchers have analysed 43 walkways used by vertebrates to quantify the importance of these structures, which facilitate animals’ natural movements and reduce mortality caused by vehicles and, consequently, traffic accidents. Fri, 19 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080917074132.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080912091726.htm As the price of gasoline fuel soars, and concerns grow about the impact of car culture on the environment, a team of scientists have come up with a hydrogen-powered car, which they believe is a significant step forward in creating a mass-produced green machine. Wed, 17 Sep 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080912091726.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915164550.htm In an advance toward introduction of an amazing new kind of internal combustion engine, researchers in China are reporting development and use of a new and more accurate computer model to assess performance of the so-called free-piston linear alternator (FPLA). Wed, 17 Sep 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080915164550.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080911103918.htm Hydrogen may well be the new gasoline. But where's the nearest "gas" station where you can pull up and refuel your energy-efficient vehicle? Will hydrogen stations be strategically convenient -- located on street corners and travel-stop locations around the globe? In a new study, RIT professor James Winebrake and Patrick Meyer consider the number of barriers to overcome before the hydrogen-fuel infrastructure becomes efficient, affordable and publicly accepted. Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080911103918.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903172421.htm Researchers are developing an air traffic control system that can track multiple flight locations and changing weather conditions and help controllers optimize traffic flow and air safety. Mon, 08 Sep 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080903172421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902171117.htm Stanford computer scientists have developed an artificial intelligence system that enables robotic helicopters to teach themselves to fly difficult stunts by watching other helicopters. The result is an autonomous helicopter than can perform a complete airshow of complex tricks on its own. The airshow is an important demonstration of "apprenticeship learning," in which robots learn by observing an expert, rather than by having software engineers write instructions from scratch. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080902171117.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901085724.htm Research carried out in Sweden suggests that there are three critical manoeuvres that lead to loss of control of heavy trucks and subsequent accidents. Writing in the International Journal of Vehicle Safety, the researchers explain that negotiating a bend is the main cause of loss of control, closely followed by avoidance manoeuvres, and road-edge recovery. Wed, 03 Sep 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901085724.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901140921.htm Researchers have developed a special dashboard computer to act as a single conduit for all devices emerging in modern cars – GPS, mobile, PDAs, intelligent car technologies. It should mean a better, more relaxed and even safer driving experience. Tue, 02 Sep 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901140921.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820081650.htm An international team of engineers is to develop mission-critical control software for future European robotic space missions, it has been announced. Fri, 22 Aug 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080820081650.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813120749.htm Like a deep-sea bloodhound, Sentry -- the newest in an elite group of unmanned submersibles able to operate on their own in demanding and rugged environments -- has helped scientists pinpoint locations for two observation sites of a pioneering seafloor laboratory being planned off Washington and Oregon. Successful selection of the two sites is a crucial step in developing an extensive sensor network above and below the seafloor on the Juan de Fuca Plate. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813120749.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813102727.htm The first scientific mission with Sentry, a newly developed robot capable of diving as deep as 5,000 meters (3.1 miles) into the ocean, has been successfully completed. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080813102727.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814091059.htm Hybrid technology combines the advantages of combustion engines and electric motors. Scientists are developing high-performance energy storage units, a prerequisite for effective hybrid motors. Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080814091059.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811095502.htm A new simulation method has made it possible to predict in record time when and where heavily stressed engine components are likely to fail. Car manufacturers can thereby significantly reduce the time for developing new engine components. Wed, 13 Aug 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080811095502.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807073753.htm Why does lithium iron phosphate, a candidate for use in future lithium batteries, conduct electricity despite being an insulating material? Chemists have shed light on this paradox. Their experimentally verified "domino-cascade model" shows that local stresses within the material allow electrical and ionic conduction to spread from one area to the next, making the battery function. These results open new horizons in the search for improved battery electrode materials and help explain how tomorrow's electric car batteries work. Mon, 11 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080807073753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080808104927.htm Flying downwind from Chinese mainland, unmanned aerial vehicles will measure emissions of soot and other forms of black carbon during China's "great shutdown." Fri, 08 Aug 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080808104927.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804123039.htm Students have constructed a vehicle that is solely powered by wind energy, the Ventomobile. It took them many months of intense construction work to reach this goal. First wind tunnel testing produced very promising results. The extremely stylish three-wheeler features a two-bladed rotor on top, with a diameter of two meters. The efficiency of this setup proved to be extremely good. Wed, 06 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804123039.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804190711.htm Robots in the military are no longer the stuff of science fiction. They have left the movie screen and entered the battlefield. Researchers report that the military goal is to have approximately 30% of the army be robotic forces by somewhere around 2020. Tue, 05 Aug 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/08/080804190711.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731143916.htm Scientists have revolutionized the design of fuel cells used in the latest generation of hybrid cars which could make the vehicles more reliable and cheaper to build. The breakthrough, published in the journal Science, revolves around the design of a fuel cell in which a specially-coated form of popular hi tech outdoor and sporting clothing material Goretex® is the key component. Sun, 03 Aug 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731143916.htm