News From the World of Engineering
TRANSPORTATION SPECIAL
News From The World Of Engineering
Rethinking Rotorcraft: Helicopters of the Future? The Engineer features an article surrounding Airbus’ attempts to revolutionise the design of rotorcraft. They claim that their innovative ‘Clean Sky 2’ demonstrator will travel 50% faster than a traditional design, while using 15% less fuel at speeds of 207mph than a regular helicopter would use at speeds of 150mph.
Lining up the Future of Logistics. An article by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers covers the latest attempts by truck manufacturers MAN and Scania to trial truck platooning technology in both Singapore and Germany. The key benefits are believed to be an increase in fuel economy, safety and network capacity, achieved by having three autonomous trucks following the lead driver.
Why UPS Drivers Don’t Turn Left... Graham Kendall, professor of computer science at the University of Nottingham, writes for The Conversation about how UPS’ research around the ‘vehicle routing problem’ has led it to conclude that taking the shortest route between deliveries is not the most efficient way. The result is that UPS’ drivers are instructed - amongst other methods - to increase efficiency by never turning across oncoming traffic.
SpaceX Hyperloop Competition. SpaceX held the final of their first Hyperloop competition in California at the end of January, as reported by Engadget. Only three of the original 27 teams made it to the final, with the highest scoring pod overall being from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The event was such a success that SpaceX are holding another competition this year, with a final scheduled for Summer 2017.
Google’s Driverless Cars Make Progress... BBC News report how the number of ‘disengagement’ incidents - occasions where a human driver had to take manual control of a test vehicle - amongst cars run by Google company Waymo, more than halved during 2016. 22
Preview Winter 2017