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Transportation

Honda demonstrates new ‘Smart Intersection’ technology

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Honda has demonstrated its “Smart Intersection” technology for vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication designed to reduce traffic collisions at roadway intersections, one of the first such deployments of V2X technology in a real-world setting.

Developed in partnership with the City of Marysville as part of the 33 Smart Mobility Corridor project, the pilot project seeks to address the limitations of on-board vehicle sensors in addressing traffic collisions at roadway intersections.

Intersection collisions account for roughly 40 percent of all collisions and 20 percent of the nearly 35,000 traffic-related deaths that occur in the U.S. each year.

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Renault and Brilliance sign deal with Liaoning province, China

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Groupe Renault and Brilliance China Automotive Holdings Limited (Brilliance) have signed a Strategic Cooperation agreement with Chinese officials from Liaoning Province to accelerate growth of light commercial vehicles (LCV) in China.

This follows the move in January by the two companies to form Renault-Brilliance-Jinbei Automotive Co., Ltd., a joint venture to manufacture and sell light commercial vehicles.

Renault also confirmed plans for three new electric light commercial vehicles (LCV) for China within two years.

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Autonomous vehicles will increase traffic congestion before ‘dramatically reducing it’, says report

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Introducing autonomous vehicles will initially increase traffic congestion before dramatically reducing it, according to a new report.

Arthur D. Little has published a real-world simulation analysis that demonstrates that switching to totally autonomous vehicles significantly reduces urban congestion by a factor of 10, but that mixing human and robot drivers together will increase traffic jams by over 16 per cent.

The micro-simulation was based on a major intersection in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, notorious for its evening traffic jams.  [Read more…] about Autonomous vehicles will increase traffic congestion before ‘dramatically reducing it’, says report

Hyundai develops exoskeletons for industry

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Hyundai Motor Group has ventured further into the high-value robotics industry of the future by beginning development of Hyundai Vest Exoskeleton (H-VEX) wearable industrial robots.

Following the Hyundai Chairless Exoskeleton (H-CEX) demonstration conducted in the Hyundai-KIA North American factory last August, the company plans to verify H-VEX’s success through extensive testing at the end of 2018.

In early 2018, Hyundai selected Robot-Artificial Intelligence as one of five areas of future innovation growth. The company established a designated robotics team in its strategic technology headquarters to focus on the development of related tech, and is expanding its cooperation with associated sectors.

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Pizza Hut and Toyota unveil pizza-making pickup truck

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Pizza Hut has joined forces with Toyota to develop the zero-emission Tundra PIE Pro, a mobile pizza factory with the ability to deliver oven-hot pizza wherever it goes.

The full-size-pizza-making truck was introduced at Toyota’s 2018 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Show presentation.

The Tundra PIE Pro features a unique truck bed that has been converted into a virtual pizza factory on wheels—also known as “The Kitchen”—which contains a refrigerator, a pair of computer-guided robotic arms, and a portable conveyor oven.

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Magna acquires Haptronik to advance ‘touch control’ features in cars

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Drivers and passengers will enjoy a more intuitive experience thanks to technology which relies on motion and the sense of touch inside and outside of the car.

To continue developing these advanced technologies for the automotive market, Magna has signed a deal to acquire Haptronik GmbH, further investing in advanced motion-control software and adding to Magna’s mechatronics products.

Haptronik is a technology company that specialises in software to control the motion of mechatronic products. Based in Dresden, Germany, the company develops algorithms that enhance motion control and the touch and feel of power systems such as doors and liftgates.

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ThyssenKrupp provides automated mobility systems for new arrivals at Accra airport

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ThyssenKrupp, in partnership with its local distributor ARG1 Africa, is supplying airport mobility to Accra, Ghana’s Kotoka International Airport Terminal 3, including seven passenger boarding bridges, three escalators, 16 lifts, and over 40 auxiliary equipment units.

The company has previously supplied solutions at airports across Africa, including in Algeria, Cameroon, South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria, to name a few.

According to the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority, the number of international airline operations at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) has increased from 35 to 38 and between 2016 and 2017, Accra had a 14 percent increase in passenger traffic.

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DuPont releases new thermoplastic for automotive components

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DuPont Transportation & Advanced Polymers, a newly formed business segment within DowDuPont’s Specialty Products Division, is introducing DuPont Hytrel HTR8745 BK320, a new grade of TPC-ET developed for blow moulding of constant velocity joint (CVJ) inboard boots.

An industry leader in co-polyester elastomer solutions for CVJ boots, DuPont has engineered a next-generation, high-performance thermoplastic elastomer with excellent heat and fatigue resistance.

“Introduced in 1984 for automotive CVJ outboard boots, Hytrel is the industry standard for excellent balance of grease resistance, high-temperature durability, low-temperature flexibility and historically proven performance,” said Laurent Lefebvre, marketing manager, DuPont Transportation & Advanced Polymers.

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Sick launches AGV forklift safety solution

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Sick has developed the Safe AGV Forklift, a PLd/SIL2-certified safety solution that enables a driverless forklift to continue to operate productively when the forks are in the load-carrying position.

The Sick Safe AGV Forklift is claimed to solve ‘stop-start frustration’, which slows operation and leads to wear and tear of Automated Guided Vehicles (AGVs) fitting with a forklift: when the protective laser scanning fields are infringed because the forks are down, the AGV must be brought to a safe stop.

Designed specifically for AGV forklifts with a drive wheel, the device integrates two laser scanners providing protective fields in front and behind the vehicle, with a controller and an encoder to monitor the speed of the vehicle.

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Sweden unveils ‘world’s most advanced’ testing facility for self-driving cars

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Sweden has unveiled what describes as “the world’s most advanced testing facility for self-driving cars”.

AstaZero, near Gothenburg, sets new benchmark in automated vehicle testing.

The safety of testing self-driving technology has garnered global attention recently following fatal incidents on public roads.  [Read more…] about Sweden unveils ‘world’s most advanced’ testing facility for self-driving cars