Inhabitat's Week in Green: A flying car by 2018, and more!

Singapore-based Vanda Electric unveiled a 1,500-horsepower supercar that can go from 0 to 60 in 2.6 seconds

The Indian Point nuclear plant is located just 25 miles north of New York City, and recent reports show that it's leaking "uncontrollable radioactive flow" into the groundwater. Meanwhile, a damage report on the Los Angeles methane leak shows that it's one of the worst disasters in US history. On the brighter side of things, a revolutionary new solar plant in Arizona generates clean power all day and all night. Norway announced plans to build the largest onshore wind farm in Europe, and Bill Gates thinks that a climate-saving energy breakthrough is only 15 years away.

architect Vincent Callebaut unveiled plans for an urban farming utopia that produces more energy than it uses

LED bulbs revolutionized the way that we light our homes, and now they could give internet speeds a big boost. French startup Oldecomm has developed a new LED Li-Fi technology that's 100 times faster than conventional WiFi. In other design and technology news, Tokyo students developed a 3D-printing pen that can draw structures in mid-air. Apparel company Oros is using NASA technology to create super insulating aerogel jackets for hitting the slopes. And visionary architect Vincent Callebaut unveiled plans for an urban farming utopia that produces more energy than it uses.

Source: Inhabitat's Week in Green: A flying car by 2018, and more!

Back To The Future’ Flying Car May Be Available By 2018 — Say Hello To The Self-Driving Terrafugia TF-X

The flying car could be a reality in just two years, and you won't need to steer it. This is all theoretical, but it means that our dreams of catching up to Back to the Future, Part II, or finally having a car that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Phil Coulson might use could be here in 2018.

When the infamous day hit on October 21, 2015, it was obvious that the advancements we'd seen through Marty McFly's experiences in were barely more than a dream. There were no hoverboards, though a device was quickly named the hoverboard, despite it having wheels that touched the ground. The Inquisitr reported that these devices were so prone to catching fire and endangering lives that retailers such as Amazon quickly offered refunds, "no questions asked."

Hopefully, the Terrafugia flying car will be safer. It probably won't feature wheels which fold under the vehicle and transform into propulsion rockets, but it does have wings and twin helicopter propellers. The manufacturer claims it will be a working prototype, and probably still in the development phases in 2018. The expected release date of the Terrafugia TF-X is slated to be 2028, says Discovery News.

What holds it back for now is the fact that it still depends on regular fuel, and not only does it need to meet automotive crash test standards, but also the FAA's weight limit for light sport aircraft. The fuel problem could only increase current pollution problems, which is why they are working on making it completely electric. There are problems with this, as well, because the current electrical grid infrastructure isn't capable of supporting widespread production of electrical engines.

Fuel consumption could also create an issue with EPA standards, since it takes far more fuel to fly than it does to drive, and the Terrafugia TF-X prototype flying car currently does both. The end goal is to have the 300-horsepower engine recharge the battery and give it 500 miles of freedom before it needs to land. Terrafugia also aims to give it cruising speeds of 200 miles per hour.

That is a lot of power and a serious drain on the grid for now. Hopefully, the worldwide infrastructure will be upgraded in the next ten years and be able to handle the environmentally friendly influx of electrical cars.

Flying cars could mean that ground-based travel will become obsolete if other manufacturers decide to follow in Terrafugia's proverbial footsteps. There will also need to be an updated traffic system so the self-driving hybrids won't be crashing due to the current lack of air-borne traffic regulations, such as the standard stop and go lights for traffic today.

They say that flying is safer than driving, and that's mostly due to highly trained pilots and air traffic controllers. Increase air traffic and that old adage might vanish, even with self-driving cars. The Terrafugia TF-X will likely need to come with sensors able to detect other traffic within a mile or two, and correct the trajectory if there is a potential collision course.

#TheLatestTech #Inhabitat's Week in #Green: A #flyingcar by #2018, and more! https://t.co/NjURhB7Zsb

— DJ Green (@_the_latest) February 28, 2016

Of course, with all of the competition and a hefty anticipated price tag of $260,000, it's doubtful that Terrafugia's flying car will be taking over the automotive industry, even by 2028. Companies such as Google, Apple, and Uber are all working on their own self-driving hybrids, and upon learning of this relatively new manufacturer's plans, could attempt to compete for your air travel dollar.

Don't get too excited for the idea of leaving ground-based traffic behind just yet though. According to Popular Mechanics, Terrafugia is still going to face regulations from both ground and air travel standards. That doesn't even begin to consider how much the crumbling infrastructure and the possibly victimized oil industry will likely fight to keep the flying car grounded.

Until these details, and the Terrafugia TF-X design, are finalized, we can still dream of taking to the air like Agent Coulson and Doc Brown. Progress is being made at the very least.

[Image via Universal Pictures]

Source: Back To The Future' Flying Car May Be Available By 2018 — Say Hello To The Self-Driving Terrafugia TF-X

Let’s all hold out for flying cars

Published: February 28, 2016

Let's start with this: With the possible exception of contractors and their work crews, nobody loves road construction.

The dust. The disruption. The diversions. The barriers. The noise and confusion. The teeth-rattling make-do patches until the finished paving goes down — or, worse, the gigantic, gap-bridging metal plates.

Turn lanes vanish overnight, and new travel patterns breeding bottlenecks materialize. Then, possibly most maddening of all: The wait — sometimes days, often weeks — between the end of construction and when the painting crews arrive to lay down the lane indicators.

The entire process is a modern-day trial of every motorist's charitable nature. Which, as we all know, is not in generous supply in the first place. And no sooner do they finish, it seems, than they're back at it, ripping up and blocking off, squeezing and detouring.

Road construction is on our minds this morning not simply because it is inevitable in this persistently popular part of the world, but also because the impossibility of what we demand — motoring that is efficient and unharried with none of the inconveniences of construction or man-made blight upon the landscape — is approaching critical mass.

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Honestly, it's enough to make you wonder why bright people with unlimited choices choose to take up traffic engineering in the first place. There must be something alluring about the plotting of exotic interchanges along limited-access thoroughfares, is all I can think. That, or it pays a ton. Because there is scant evidence that their work pleases much of anybody.

Two more-or-less pending projects stand as prickly evidence of this. One involves the intersection of State Road 54 and U.S. 41 in Land O' Lakes — which is already beyond clogged most hours of most days — and the other an increasingly bustling stretch of U.S. 301 connecting Zephyrhills' northern boundary to the U.S. 98 Bypass on Dade City's eastern flank.

No one who routinely encounters either of these clogged arteries reasonably can reject the idea that some alleviation is necessary. The question is: What?

Land O' Lakes loyalists have rejected, with firmness and energy, the fly-over that has been on the Florida Department of Transportation's long-term projects map for something like 20 years. A couple of years back, they erupted over a proposed elevated tollway running down the heart of S.R. 54 slicing through the heart of their community, but they're equally furious about the prospect of its smaller cousin displacing long-established businesses and homeowners.

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Alas, as Pasco County planning chief Richard Gehring routinely notes, the existing geography, particularly the railroad tracks flanking U.S. 41 to the west, limit design options. Already 99,000 vehicles pass through the crossroads daily, and — assuming no flying-cars-for-the-masses breakthroughs — the number will only increase.

Now, while Gehring has been known to indulge hyperbole when it suits him — his suggestion Pasco's future was either that doomed elevated tollway or gargantuan Los Angeles-style freeways was met with mockery — his prediction of pass-through times of nearly 40 minutes if nothing is done seems entirely reasonable.

My guess: We're going to become acutely acquainted with the nuances of eminent domain. At least there's neither a stadium nor a casino parking lot involved.

Still, the good folks at Pasco's Metropolitan Planning Organization are open to suggestion, as they have been about the future of that aforementioned stretch of U.S. 301.

Residents correctly have noted the unusually scenic nature of the rolling terrain, and their resistance to outright expansion is noble, if — as the population continues to swell — not altogether practical. Last week Dade City commissioners built a $3,200 impact fee into the building of every new house, which they expect to collect 2,500 times.

That's a lot of new drivers, and a lot of new north-south traffic. The idea that they'll find satisfactory accommodation in the expansion of parallel frontage roads is quaint, but seems insufficient to the demand.

Still, we were promised flying cars. Flying cars would make this much simpler. Maybe we should hold out for flying cars. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Source: Let's all hold out for flying cars

Woman's windshield smashed from ice off flying car on I-696

(WXYZ) - It's something that almost everyone does after a snowstorm. You brush off your car, get the ice off, and then take off for your destination. One area that is normally missed though is the roof.

A new mother and a baby are lucky to be alive after learning first hand how dangerous it is when someone doesn't clean off their roof.

Amanda McDonough was driving with her 2-month-old baby on westbound I-696 near Dequindre in Madison Heights on Saturday morning when a whole sheet of ice flew off the car in front of her and shattered her windshield.

The impact sent glass flying towards them littering the dashboard. Luckily, no one was hurt and Amanda was able to maintain control and pull over. The other driver pulled over as well.

"He got out of the car and said it wasn't his problem and he had a temporary plate on and he took off," McDonough said. "The police said it wasn't the guy's fault either. I always thought you were supposed to clear your vehicle of obstruction?"

7 Action News Reporter Jennifer Ann Wilson went to a local store and bought a brush and ice scraper for just $3.99. That price will not only help keep you safe, but keep those around you safe as well.

Source: Woman's windshield smashed from ice off flying car on I-696

Brazilian boy sent flying by car that hit him as kids played on busy Rio de Janeiro highway (WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO)

A 12-year-old Brazilian boy was sent flying by a car that hit him as he and his friends played on a busy Rio de Janeiro highway Monday, according to reports.

The collision captured in a video circulating in the British tabloids left the boy fighting for his life after he landed on the ground with a terrifying thud, The Sun reported.

The authenticity of the video and the crash said to have happened on the BR116 Presidente Dutra freeway in Nova Iguaçu weren't immediately verifiable.

BIKER LUCKY TO BE ALIVE AFTER NEAR CRASH

The boy is seen in the footage as one of several kids running across the exit ramp of the crowded motorway to jump into the brown waters of a pool formed in a roadside ditch. Moments before he got thrown into the air, another boy in the group just avoided getting mowed down.

The cars honked at the boys and a man could be heard exclaiming in Portuguese. When the car hit the other boy, the man yelled out, "He's been killed, he's been killed," according to a translation by the Daily Star.

The car kept going after the collision and a truck barely missed the boy as he lay on the ground. The unidentified boy appeared in a Facebook picture cited by the Star hooked up to tubes in the hospital while ailing in critical condition.

His mother Jacqueline Menezes responded to commenters who faulted her for allowing her child to play on the high-speed roadway.

"I hope this serves as a lesson to the other kids who were with him to stop going to that bloody lake," she wrote. "Those who know me know of my struggle to raise my five children and they know about my situation. Those who don't know me shouldn't throw stones."

Follow on Twitter @tobysalkc

ON A MOBILE DEVICE? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.

tsalinger@nydailynews.com

Tags: rio de janeiro , brazil , car crashes
Source: Brazilian boy sent flying by car that hit him as kids played on busy Rio de Janeiro highway (WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO)

Self-driving flying car in two years

The hybrid electric flying car that's been a dream for so long is finally taking shape. Terrafugia announced that they expect to have a prototype for their computer-controlled electric aerial vehicle called the TF-X released within two years.

The company says a full-sized prototype of the TF-X will be ready by 2018, and a model retailing for around $260,000 should be out before 2028, the Daily Mail reported.

If that seems like forever, consider the timeline for Terrafugia's first vehicle, a two-seater that runs on regular gasoline called the Transition. As Engadget's Richard Lawler pointed out last year, the second-generation Transition prototype logged more than 100 hours in the air, but key hurdles remain.

This latest version still needs meet automotive crash safety standards, and meet the FAA's weight limit for Light-Sport Aircraft.

The TF-X design is even more complex. The idea is for the four-seat hybrid electric vehicle to have computer-controlled flight. After driving the TF-X out of the garage, twin propellers unfold and a megawatt of power lifts the vehicle up.

Rather than gasoline, a 300-horsepower engine will recharge the vehicle's batteries and give it a nonstop 500-mile flight range. The goal is to have cruising speeds around 200 miles per hour. It can also be recharged electrically on the ground.

All the automation has to be foolproof, too. The company wants operating a TF-X to be safer than driving a regular car. In the air, the vehicle should automatically avoid other aircraft, bad weather, and restricted airspace.

Operators can either use manual or automatic control to fly. And an emergency landing sequence would go into effect if the operator becomes unresponsive.Currently a one-tenth size model is being tested in the Wright Brothers wind tunnel at MIT, according to the Daily Mail.

— Source: www.newsdiscovery.com

Source: Self-driving flying car in two years

SEE IT: Brazilian boy sent flying by car that hit him as boys play on busy Rio de Janeiro highway (WARNING - GRAPHIC VIDEO)

A 12-year-old Brazilian boy was sent flying by a car that hit him as he and his friends played on a busy Rio de Janeiro highway Monday, according to reports.

The collision captured in a video circulating in the British tabloids left the boy fighting for his life after he landed on the ground with a terrifying thud, The Sun reported.

The authenticity of the video and the crash said to have happened on the BR116 Presidente Dutra freeway in Nova Iguaçu weren't immediately verifiable.

BIKER LUCKY TO BE ALIVE AFTER NEAR CRASH

The boy is seen in the footage as one of several kids running across the exit ramp of the crowded motorway to jump into the brown waters of a pool formed in a roadside ditch. Moments before he got thrown into the air, another boy in the group just avoided getting mowed down.

The cars honked at the boys and a man could be heard exclaiming in Portuguese. When the car hit the other boy, the man yelled out, "He's been killed, he's been killed," according to a translation by the Daily Star.

The car kept going after the collision and a truck barely missed the boy as he lay on the ground. The unidentified boy appeared in a Facebook picture cited by the Star hooked up to tubes in the hospital while ailing in critical condition.

His mother Jacqueline Menezes responded to commenters who faulted her for allowing her child to play on the high-speed roadway.

"I hope this serves as a lesson to the other kids who were with him to stop going to that bloody lake," she wrote. "Those who know me know of my struggle to raise my five children and they know about my situation. Those who don't know me shouldn't throw stones."

Follow on Twitter @tobysalkc

ON A MOBILE DEVICE? WATCH THE VIDEO HERE.

tsalinger@nydailynews.com

Tags: rio de janeiro , brazil , car crashes
Source: SEE IT: Brazilian boy sent flying by car that hit him as boys play on busy Rio de Janeiro highway (WARNING - GRAPHIC VIDEO)

Will Ferrell Promises Flying Cars If IOC Chooses Los Angeles For 2024 Olympics (Video)

Last week the 2024 Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee unveiled their LA Olympic logo, in which Tinkerbell is being blasted by Superman's heat vision. (See below). Now here's a video they've produced to promote the Olympics coming to LA.

In 2017 the IOC will vote to award the 2024 Games to either LA, Paris, Rome, or Budapest. LA's pitch will include this video, featuring Will Ferrell, Kobe Bryant, Janet Evans, Greg Louganis, Ezra French; chef and restaurateur Roy Choi; and Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti.

* A recent Loyola Marymount poll shows that 88 percent of LA residents would support the Olympics coming to LA in 2024.

Source: Will Ferrell Promises Flying Cars If IOC Chooses Los Angeles For 2024 Olympics (Video)

Flying Car ‘Coming Soon': Futuristic Prototype Unveiled

A HIGH-flying company is hoping that futuristic airborne cars will soon become a reality. Massachusetts-based Terrafugia, which was founded in 2006 by a team of MIT graduates, plans to start selling its flying car, named the TF-X, in as little as eight years. And the manufacturer expects to have developed full-size unmanned prototypes of the TF-X by 2018. The TF-X is still in the early stages of development but Terrafugia, which is derived from the Latin for 'escape the earth', predicts production in the next 8-12 years. The flying car will have a range of up to 500 miles and cruise top speeds of up to 200mph. Terrafugia Producer: Mark Hodge, Nick Johnson Editor: Joshua Douglas, Ian Phillips

READ MORE SEE LESS

Source: Flying Car 'Coming Soon': Futuristic Prototype Unveiled

In Prineville, flying car gets closer to takeoff

PRINEVILLE — Crouched on the floor of a hangar Monday at Prineville Airport, Sam Bousfield ran his hand across a seemingly simple hinge cast in aluminum.

Built in fits and starts over the last year and a half, the hinge is a critical piece of the Samson Switchblade, a flying car Bousfield has been building in recent years.

Designed to allow the wings to fold beneath the passenger compartment, the hinge also provides the inspiration for the aircraft's name, a nod to the folding switchblade knife.

"It's our biggest milestone, because this is kind of the heart of what makes a Switchblade work," he said

A Redmond resident, architect and private pilot, Bousfield began playing around with aviation design more than 15 years ago. He spent a few years working with Boeing engineers refining his ideas, then decided to focus his efforts on developing a flying car.

Though many people before him have built flying cars, Bousfield said, they've not been particularly practical, usually requiring an extended period to attach or remove the wings.

Carbon-fiber construction makes it possible for the Switchblade's wings to go with the vehicle, rather than being stowed in a hangar or a garage in anticipation of the next flight, he said.

If Bousfield's team can put together a second aluminum hinge to match the first, and production continues as expected on the exterior body panels, he's aiming to have a full-sized prototype ready for a test flight in the summer. Although the Switchblade is being built in Prineville, the first test flight is likely to be elsewhere, he said — test pilots prefer to test closer to sea level, he said, where the air is thicker and aircraft performance is more predictable.

The path to the first test flight has been full of ups and downs.

Flight tests with a remote-controlled one-fifth scale model were disappointing, but road tests of a full-scale prototype were better than expected, with the Switchblade outperforming a Jaguar XK8 in a variety of driving tests. Subsequent tests at the University of Washington wind tunnel suggest the latest design will be much better in the air than prior variations.

Although the Switchblade is driven like a car, the three-wheeled vehicle is technically a motorcycle, allowing the company to bypass some of the safety features required of cars — airbags, for instance, are out, due to the potential for an in-flight mishap.

"You could meet some turbulence that would set those things off, which would make for a really bad day," Bousfield said.

The Switchblade is being developed as a kit-built plane, in which the buyer would be responsible for its final assembly. Just as motorcycles are subject to less stringent regulation than cars, kit planes are not subject to the same testing as other factory-built aircraft.

Bousfield said if the test flight later this year is a success, he and his team can move toward production, building 200 limited edition Switchblades. The first 200 would likely not be available inside the United States, where kit-aircraft regulations require the owner to take a more active role in the building of their plane.

Getting the first Switchblades on the road — and in the skies — would help provide the funds needed to ramp up production, Bousfield said, and also help combat the negative perceptions that such a vehicle inevitably spawns.

"It's our biggest obstacle," he said. "It's not finances; it's not can we build it; it's this perception that if you have a cross between a car and an airplane, it will be a mediocre car at best and a mediocre plane at best.

"But, in this instance, that doesn't seem to be the case."

— Reporter: 541-383-0387, shammers@bendbulletin.com

Source: In Prineville, flying car gets closer to takeoff

This flying car is said to hit the market by 2025

Terrafugia is building the TF-X, a vehicle that will be able to transform from car to plane and back. According to the company, it will be ready for market by 2025. When finished, it'll be able to take off, fly, and land on its own.

Story by Jacob Shamsian and editing by Stephen Parkhurst

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Source: This flying car is said to hit the market by 2025

Flying Car ‘Coming Soon': Futuristic Prototype Unveiled

A HIGH-flying company is hoping that futuristic airborne cars will soon become a reality. Massachusetts-based Terrafugia, which was founded in 2006 by a team of MIT graduates, plans to start selling its flying car, named the TF-X, in as little as eight years. And the manufacturer expects to have developed full-size unmanned prototypes of the TF-X by 2018. The TF-X is still in the early stages of development but Terrafugia, which is derived from the Latin for 'escape the earth', predicts production in the next 8-12 years. The flying car will have a range of up to 500 miles and cruise top speeds of up to 200mph. Terrafugia Producer: Mark Hodge, Nick Johnson Editor: Joshua Douglas, Ian Phillips

READ MORE SEE LESS

Source: Flying Car 'Coming Soon': Futuristic Prototype Unveiled

Report: Flying cars just 2 years away

(DAILYMAIL) — Traffic can be a real grind. For those travelling between work and home by car every day, the seemingly endless cycle of gas-brake-repeat at a snail's pace can wear thin.

But commuters of the very-near future may be granted some respite by taking to the skies in a flying car.

The US company behind the concept vehicle TF-X is hoping a prototype will be ready to fly in just two years – and it will go on general sale within eight.

Source: Report: Flying cars just 2 years away

Government mulling to launch flying cars after Jats block roads in Haryana

Just like Holi, Diwali and a lousy Salman Khan movie on Eid, Jats blocking road and rail routes to demand reservation in job and education has also become an annual affair.

According to sources, government is considering to introduce flying cars in Haryana to get rid of the inconvenience caused by the Jat agitation once and for all.

Haryana Chief Minister M.L Khattar had given up all hope to bring the inconvenience caused to the public by the protest under control, but then he saw the flying car in Harry Potter and he came up with a plan.

"When the protestors realize that everyone is using flying cars and their blockage of roads and railway tracks is not affecting anyone, I am sure they would not bother with the protest anymore. With the advent of flying cars, we will have a genuine excu se for why we do not show any interest in constructing roads in the state," Khattar told our Mocktale reporter about his ambitious project.

Narendra Modi welcomed the idea of flying cars with open arms as it would add a new flavour to his foreign tours. If everything goes according to the plan, world's first flying car will be launched under Make In India, after which it will be taken on a test drive to a foreign country by Modi.

Some things which remain to be seen are whether Indians will stop honking incessantly while travelling in a flying car or not, and will people, especially Salman Khan, continue rash driving in space as well.

It took a while for the Jats to react to the masterstroke government had played. Jealous of everyone switching to flying cars, Jats are now demanding reservation in aviation industry.

They have asked the government to allocate planes to them, which they will name "Jat Jet". And if their demands are not met, the Jats plan to someh ow carry out a protest in space, thereby creating trouble for all the flying car users.

(Stories in Mocktale are works of fiction intended to bring a smile to your face. They bear no connection to events and characters in real life)

Source: Government mulling to launch flying cars after Jats block roads in Haryana

Are You Ready for the 200 MPH Flying Car!?

Finding comedy in everything and everything in comedy.

interrobang, in·ter·ro·bang [in-ter-uh-bang] ‽ (often represented by ?! / !?), is a nonstandard punctuation designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.

Focusing on the most interesting ! and ? in life, theinterrobang.com is a place to talk about the comedy in everything, and everything in comedy. From street corners to theaters, arenas, print, television, film, or even the White House, if it's funny, or should be, we're talking about it. We also continue to bring you everything happening in the news that's worth discussing, the best recommendations on the internet, and interviews with the most creative people on the planet.

Interested in contributing? Hit us up on our contact page.

Source: Are You Ready for the 200 MPH Flying Car!?

Flying Car ‘Coming Soon': Futuristic Prototype Unveiled

A HIGH-flying company is hoping that futuristic airborne cars will soon become a reality. Massachusetts-based Terrafugia, which was founded in 2006 by a team of MIT graduates, plans to start selling its flying car, named the TF-X, in as little as eight years. The flying car will have a range of up to 500 miles and cruise top speeds of up to 200mph. Videographer / director: Terrafugia Producer: Mark Hodge, Nick Johnson Editor: Joshua Douglas, Ian Phillips

Source: Flying Car 'Coming Soon': Futuristic Prototype Unveiled

This company says it's ready to build a real flying car — here's how it works

Flying cars are not just the stuff of "Back to the Future" anymore — a company called Terrafugia says it has the technology to complete one by 2025.

Terrafugia

Although the tech may be ready to give us a flying car in less than 10 years, seeing one will depend on the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) rules on flying unmanned aerial vehicles — which have yet to be released.

Here's a closer look at how the flying car works and what Terrafugia has to say about its vision becoming a reality:

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Source: This company says it's ready to build a real flying car — here's how it works

Silicon Valley’s New Private Jet of Choice Just Secured $50 Million in Pre-Orders

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If you're not familiar with Cobalt or its drop-dead-gorgeous Co50 Valkyrie personal jet, you're about to be. The company just secured $50 million in pre-orders, meaning the skies are about to get a whole lot prettier.

Cobalt started off as a pet project for founder and CEO David Loury. An aerospace engineer-turned-entrepreneur and designer, the French-born CEO hopes Cobalt can change the pace for personal aircrafts. The Co50 Valkyrie was designed to do just that.

RELATED: Toyota Patents a Flying Car, But Don't Get Your Hopes Up

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The $50 million in pre-orders were acquired in just 90 days following the aircraft's launch on November 12, 2015. Along with this massive influx of cash from interested buyers, Cobalt also brought aboard former Delta pilot James Schwartz to command the test program for FAA certification.

"The Cobalt Valkyrie is a magnificent airplane and it has created a tremendous amount of much-deserved interest," said Schwartz. "It's a beautiful design, profoundly enjoyable to fly, and it will outperform anything in its class."

RELATED: Terrafugia TF-X Flying Car Closer to Reality Than Ever Before

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Cobalt claims that among the many interested buyers, Silicon Valley entrepreneurs from both Google and Apple were among the first to order, as well as top-level executives from Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and around the globe.

The plane itself starts off at a respectable $595,000 (dropping significantly from $700,000 at launch), and features a cruise range of 1,050 nautical miles. Cobalt is hoping to begin delivering planes to customers early-to-mid 2017.

RELATED: Like This Flying Car? You Could Win a 3D-Printed Version

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Source: Silicon Valley's New Private Jet of Choice Just Secured $50 Million in Pre-Orders

Nissan’s Smart Chairs Use Self-Driving Car Tech To Park Themselves When You Clap Your Hands

Nissan has just unveiled the self-parking chair. It's cool, but this is really all about Nissan's self-driving cars.(Photo : Nissan)

Who says cars and drones are the only inanimate objects worthy of the gift of autonomy? Nissan has breathed autonomy into the fibers of office furniture, enabling what it calls Intelligent Parking Chairs to propel themselves back into place after being disturbed by humans.

The way the chairs work is they rely on WiFi and room sensing cameras mounted in the corners of rooms to direct the chairs back to where they belong.

It's akin to the "Clap on, clap off" lights that made people in the 1980s think flying cars, flying robots, teleportation, self-driving cars and virtual reality where just around the corner – turns out, some of those were.

With just a clap of the hands, Nissan's Intelligent Parking Chairs will sort themselves from whatever mess they were left in and will return to their original positions in an orderly fashion – imagine the productivity gains to be had by no longer having to push a chair back in after a meeting!

For those concerned trolls who would, with the clap of their hands, want to send a room full of seated people back to order, a la Magneto, the chairs will only respond to claps when they're empty. Well, that's unless they've been hacked.

So this is a novelty, but it's proof that autonomous vehicle technology has implications far beyond the automotive field. That's true, even if we still haven't found any many compelling reasons to give other objects autonomy – and that's not to say self-parking chairs are uncool.

Scaling the technology up a bit, it could have more practical use in state-of-the-art auditoriums and cafeterias where the next engagement is oftentimes more important to people than straightening chairs.

But alas, this is more about selling cars than chairs. Nissan's autonomous cars were still described as a "white knuckle affair" last month by Re/code, but the automaker plans to get all of that sorted in a few years. It's already started testing its prototype in Japan, and by 2020, Nissan hopes to have its self-driving cars shuttling the consumers along public roads.

For now, check out Nissan's Intelligent Parking Chairs in the video below:

© 2016 Tech Times, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

Source: Nissan's Smart Chairs Use Self-Driving Car Tech To Park Themselves When You Clap Your Hands

Are These the Flying Cars We’ve Been Waiting For?

This innovative company received FAA permission to test flying cars

As humans, it seems we are never satisfied with our incredible inventions. No sooner do we develop the automobile than we are looking for ways to make it fly.

In1940, Henry Ford himself proclaimed, "a combination of airplane and motorcar is coming." In 1964, Ian Fleming created perhaps the most famous flying car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Chinese drone manufacturer Ehang unveiled a one-seater, autonomous octo-copter. None of these, though, resembles the vision of automotive flight as closely as the Terrafugia TF-X, which recently won FAA approval to perform model test flights.

While they are undisputably awesome in theory, what makes flying cars any more feasible today than in the past? "The technological and regulatory change that is being driven by the UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) industry is laying the groundwork for flying car technologies to make their way to market," says Carl Dietrich, Terrafugia CEO/CTO. "From every angle, personal transportation is gearing up for massive change," including worldwide traffic congestion, autonomous vehicle control, and new regulations.

The tests authorized by the FAA allow Terrafugia to fly smaller models of their proposed hybrid-electric four-seater. Using models, they can "test the hovering capabilities of a one-tenth scale TF-X™ vehicle and gather flight characteristics data that will drive future design choices." The TF-X is currently under development and is not expected to be released for the next eight to twelve years, but design specifications include four-person capacity, five hundred mile range, vertical take-off and landing, and autonomous flight capability.

Terrafugia also produced the Transition, an airplane that folds in moments to become a street-legal car, but the vehicle requires pilot training and license to operate.

Terrafugia TF-X

Source: Are These the Flying Cars We've Been Waiting For?

A Leading Mechanical Watch Connoisseur is Hooked on Apple Watch for Providing a Quality Alternative Experience

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Source: A Leading Mechanical Watch Connoisseur is Hooked on Apple Watch for Providing a Quality Alternative Experience

The Difference Between Marginal Revenue and Marginal Benefits

Marginal revenue and marginal benefits can help companies determine how much of a product to produce in order to maximize profits. Marginal benefit is a measure of a consumer's benefit of purchasing an additional unit of a good or service, while marginal revenue is a measure of how much money a company earns by producing a unit of a good or service.

Marginal benefit Marginal benefit measures the incremental increase in benefit to a consumer achieved by consuming one additional unit of a good or service. Another way to think of marginal benefit is the maximum amount a consumer is willing to pay in order to consume that additional unit. In a typical situation, marginal benefit will decline as the consumption of a good or service increases.

Let's say a consumer wishes to purchase an additional pair of shoes. If that consumer is willing to pay $50 for that additional pair, then the marginal benefit of that purchase is $50. However, the more pairs of shoes that consumer has, the less he or she will want to pay for the next one. This is because the benefit of owning an extra pair of shoes decreases as the consumer accumulates more and more shoes.

Marginal revenue Marginal revenue is the increase in revenue generated from selling one additional unit of a good or service. Marginal revenue is calculated by dividing the change in total revenue by the change in quantity sold. The change in total revenue is calculated by subtracting the revenue before the last unit was sold from the total revenue after the last unit was sold.

Let's say a company manufactures space heaters and brings in $20 in revenue by producing its first heater. In this case, its marginal revenue would be $20 ($20 in revenue/1 unit). Now let's say that company produces a second heater and brings in $15 in revenue. The marginal revenue gained by producing that additional unit is $15 ($35-$20 = $15 change in revenue/1 additional unit).

While marginal revenue can remain steady over a certain level of output, it tends to diminish as a company produces more units of a given product. Companies can maximize their profits by making sure that the cost of producing an additional unit does not exceed the additional revenue gained by selling that unit.

Marginal revenue and monopolies In a competitive market, marginal revenue may not be all that remarkable. In a monopoly, on the other hand, the marginal revenue a company gains from selling an additional unit will always be less than the price that unit is sold for. In a monopoly, one company is able to control overall production for a given product. However, to sell an additional unit, the company that has the monopoly must decrease the price for all units sold and thus lose out on revenue.

Let's say there's a single company that produces flying cars and sells them for $500,000 apiece, and that this company sells one car in its first week of operation and brings in $500,000 in revenue. In this case, its marginal revenue would be $500,000 ($500,000 in revenue/1 unit).

Now let's say that same company reduces the price of the flying car to $400,000 to sell more units, and is able to sell one more unit immediately. The marginal revenue for the additional unit is $400,000 ($900,000-$500,000 = $400,000 change in revenue/1 additional unit). If the $400,000 price point compels more consumers to purchase flying cars, as the company sells more units for $400,000, its marginal revenue will decrease from when it sold its first flying car.

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Source: The Difference Between Marginal Revenue and Marginal Benefits

Are These the Flying Cars We’ve Been Waiting For?

This innovative company received FAA permission to test flying cars

As humans, it seems we are never satisfied with our incredible inventions. No sooner do we develop the automobile than we are looking for ways to make it fly.

In1940, Henry Ford himself proclaimed, "a combination of airplane and motorcar is coming." In 1964, Ian Fleming created perhaps the most famous flying car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Chinese drone manufacturer Ehang unveiled a one-seater, autonomous octo-copter. None of these, though, resembles the vision of automotive flight as closely as the Terrafugia TF-X, which recently won FAA approval to perform model test flights.

While they are undisputably awesome in theory, what makes flying cars any more feasible today than in the past? "The technological and regulatory change that is being driven by the UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) industry is laying the groundwork for flying car technologies to make their way to market," says Carl Dietrich, Terrafugia CEO/CTO. "From every angle, personal transportation is gearing up for massive change," including worldwide traffic congestion, autonomous vehicle control, and new regulations.

The tests authorized by the FAA allow Terrafugia to fly smaller models of their proposed hybrid-electric four-seater. Using models, they can "test the hovering capabilities of a one-tenth scale TF-X™ vehicle and gather flight characteristics data that will drive future design choices." The TF-X is currently under development and is not expected to be released for the next eight to twelve years, but design specifications include four-person capacity, five hundred mile range, vertical take-off and landing, and autonomous flight capability.

Terrafugia also produced the Transition, an airplane that folds in moments to become a street-legal car, but the vehicle requires pilot training and license to operate.

Terrafugia TF-X

Source: Are These the Flying Cars We've Been Waiting For?

Flying high: Skaneateles High School drama program brings 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' to stage

SKANEATELES — Skaneateles High School junior Calvin Blackwell and senior Jackie Aberi didn't set out in the drama program's spring production for the roles in which they wound up.

Yet, as Baron and Baroness Bomburst in the upcoming performance of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," the two student actors said they are growing into the show and into their parts more than they expected.

"I fell in love with the part more than I thought I would have," Aberi said, noting that she originally auditioned for a different part.

Blackwell said he initially wanted the part of Grandpa Potts but found that the Baron Bomburst is "more flexible of a part."

Though Aberi is a veteran of the high school stage, Blackwell said he has appeared in productions before, but this is his first time in a lead role.

As the baron and baroness, the two characters rule over the fictional land of Vulgaria and are the main characters in the musical along with Caractacus Potts, Truly Scrumptious, Jeremy and Jemima Potts, and Grandpa Potts.

"I hate children," Aberi said of her character. "He (Baron) doesn't think they are bad, but he hates them because of me. Our relationship is very cute. We do a lot for each other."

The baron and baroness want to steal the flying car invented by Caractacus Potts from which the production takes its name, and in the process, they kidnap Grandpa Potts after mistaking him for his son. They also round up all of the children in an attempt to locate Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

While the baron and baroness are eventually captured, Aberi said, everyone else lives happily ever after. Of their roles, Blackwell noted they make up the evil yet comedic duo of the production.

The drama program is slated to present "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 3, Friday, March 4 and Saturday, March 5 and at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 6. Tickets cost $10 for adults and $5 for children age 10 and under and may be purchased at showtix4u.com.

The cast and crew of "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" have been working on this production virtually since they concluded the fall performances of "Harvey," but Aberi said the real work began between Christmas and January when auditions began.

"He knows everyone really well," she said of drama program director Mickey Kringer, noting that he conducts callbacks for students he may not know as well as others. "He kind of places us in the show."

Both Blackwell and Aberi said they like this particularly show because it is more comedic than other shows done in the past with funny parts that children and adults alike can enjoy.

"It's a lot of grownup humor, but it's done in a childish way," Aberi said.

"It's kind of immature in a way," Blackwell said.

About halfway between the start of preparations and the start of performances, both actors said the show gets better and better with each rehearsal and even though it may sometimes feel as if the cast and crew will not be ready for opening night, everything always comes together.

Blackwell and Aberi both said they credit Kringer for allowing them to have the opportunity they had in high school and for getting them to where they are now.

"He's been really great," Blackwell said. "I know he's getting toward the end of his career. He's really showed me the way."

Aberi said she plans to go into the musical theater field after high school and into college, so she felt she gained valuable experience toward her future career working with Kringer.

"He's helped me grow over the past four years," she said. "Musical theater is where I want to be the rest of my life."

Senior Sam Smith played bass in the pit orchestra for the drama program's productions as a freshman, sophomore and junior, but as a senior, he wanted to do something different so he decided to work the stage for the first time since middle school.

Portraying Grandpa Potts, he said he was attracted to part during the audition he thought the role was a funny character that he wanted to play.

"He gets to do a lot of cool stuff," he said. "I wanted to do something and have an experience I might not be able to have again."

He noted performing on stage and playing in the orchestra both require a lot of effort, though being an actor bring a different level of intensity.

"You have to be able to dance and sing and memorize all your lines," Smith said. "It is a lot of work, but I'm not saying orchestra wasn't much work."

Smith said he, along with the rest of the cast, has been working with the professional choreographers and student choreographers to gain the skills needed for the stage and learn the moves for the show.

That "helped out a lot," he said, but the musician-turned-actor acknowledged that he needed some motivation at first because he initially did not take memorizing his lines seriously.

"I thought it was going to come easy, and it really hasn't," Smith said. "I really have to work at it."

Source: Flying high: Skaneateles High School drama program brings 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang' to stage

Are These the Flying Cars We’ve Been Waiting For?

This innovative company received FAA permission to test flying cars

As humans, it seems we are never satisfied with our incredible inventions. No sooner do we develop the automobile than we are looking for ways to make it fly.

In1940, Henry Ford himself proclaimed, "a combination of airplane and motorcar is coming." In 1964, Ian Fleming created perhaps the most famous flying car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Chinese drone manufacturer Ehang unveiled a one-seater, autonomous octo-copter. None of these, though, resembles the vision of automotive flight as closely as the Terrafugia TF-X, which recently won FAA approval to perform model test flights.

While they are undisputably awesome in theory, what makes flying cars any more feasible today than in the past? "The technological and regulatory change that is being driven by the UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) industry is laying the groundwork for flying car technologies to make their way to market," says Carl Dietrich, Terrafugia CEO/CTO. "From every angle, personal transportation is gearing up for massive change," including worldwide traffic congestion, autonomous vehicle control, and new regulations.

The tests authorized by the FAA allow Terrafugia to fly smaller models of their proposed hybrid-electric four-seater. Using models, they can "test the hovering capabilities of a one-tenth scale TF-X™ vehicle and gather flight characteristics data that will drive future design choices." The TF-X is currently under development and is not expected to be released for the next eight to twelve years, but design specifications include four-person capacity, five hundred mile range, vertical take-off and landing, and autonomous flight capability.

Terrafugia also produced the Transition, an airplane that folds in moments to become a street-legal car, but the vehicle requires pilot training and license to operate.

Terrafugia TF-X

Source: Are These the Flying Cars We've Been Waiting For?

Flying Manhole Cover Hits Car, Kills Driver On I-93 In Boston

BOSTON (CBS) – A Milton art teacher was struck and killed by a flying 200-pound manhole cover on Interstate 93 in downtown Boston during rush hour Friday morning.

Live: Traffic Updates

It happened just before 8:00 a.m. as Caitlin Clavette was driving southbound through the O'Neill Tunnel. She suffered fatal injuries when the metal disc crashed through her windshield.

Caitlin Clavette (WBZ-TV)

"The cover normally rests atop a manhole in the left lane of Route 93 southbound near the exit of the O'Neill Tunnel," State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said in a statement.

The manhole cover came off here on I-93 south near the exit of the O'Neill Tunnel.(Photo credit: Steve Annear – Boston Globe)

"Preliminary investigation suggests it struck the victim's windshield somewhere in that vicinity. After impact, the vehicle continued southbound in the left lane of Route 93 reaching near the area of East Berkeley street before hitting the wall on the left shoulder and coming to a stop."

A flying metal manhole cover hit this car and killed the driver on I-93 South in Boston Friday. (WBZ-TV)

"What caused the manhole to become dislodged is part of the ongoing investigation," Procopio said.

The manhole cover on the highway after the accident. (WBZ-TV)

Two lanes were blocked for several hours following the accident, causing delays.

Terry Granahan of Hingham drove by just after it happened and couldn't believe it.

"It's devastating. You're driving and something falls on your car and kills you. It's just absolutely devastating. It's tragic," he told WBZ NewsRadio 1030.

"Our sympathy goes out to the family of the victim involved in this horrific incident this morning. This tragedy is leading us to take several steps immediately out of an abundance of caution," MassDOT Administrator Thomas Tinlin said in a statement Friday afternoon.

Tinlin said MassDOT crews and welders will examine all travel lane highway infrastructure in Boston Friday to make sure manhole covers, grates, and covers for electrical panels are secure.

Several lanes were shut down for the inspections of what Tinlin said are "more than 500 pieces of hardware on the roadway" in the city.

"The equipment involved in the incident covers a storm drainage system and was last inspected June 12, 2014, and there is no indication the manhole has been removed recently for any necessary work," Tinlin said.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports

Source: Flying Manhole Cover Hits Car, Kills Driver On I-93 In Boston

Connected cars: Dubai's big theme for coming years

MENAFN - Khaleej Times - 11/02/2016 While the flying cars from 'The Jetsons' cartoon series might still be a few years away the automotive industry is undergoing a rapid transformation to introduce cars with highly connected and immersive technologies. Looking at the global perspective several leading car manufactures such as BMW Audi and Toyota have already unveiled vehicles with embedded connectivity applications. In fact as per the 'Connected Car Industry Report' published by the telecom operator Telefnica in 2013-14 around 10 per cent of cars globally had some levels of built-in-connectivity platforms and this figure is expected to grow to about 90 per cent by 2020. Even the technology vendors are eyeing the automotive sector to power their next phase of growth. This is evident by the launch of new in-car platforms such as the 'CarPlay' from Apple and the 'Android Auto' and 'Projected Mode' from Google (now Alphabet). All of these allow a better integration of the mobile phone into the car's systems thus creating s afer way for drivers to interact with their phones while driving. To add to this is Microsoft's 'Windows in the Car' platform and in December 2015 Microsoft and Volvo announced a global partnership to jointly develop technologies for the connected car. In fact the connected and autonomous cars were one of the key themes during the recent concluded Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2016 in Las Vegas. The show featured cutting edge car technology such as cloud-enabled personalised driver experience (from Airbiquity Choreo) next generation self-driving computers (from Nvidia) as well as a renewed commitment towards artificial intelligence (AI) to support safer driving most notably from Toyota. Earlier in November 2015 the company had announced a five-year 1 billion investment in AI research by establishing the Toyota Research Institute. Even the regional landscape for connected cars has been very active in recent times and a few manufactures have already launched 'Smarter Cars' in the UA E. A prime example of this was Ford which as far back as 2011 launched the Ford Edge 2011 that featured the MyFord Touch technology (developed in partnership with Microsoft). MyFord Touch enabled drivers to seamlessly integrate their mobile phones and digital media players into their cars. Following this up the Nissan Altima 2013 featured the Nissan Connected Infotainment Platform which incorporated features such as Google point-of-interest locations and Pandora radio. Further the Dubai International Motor Show 2015 saw the global launch of the 'Nissan SmartCar' mobile application. Developed in partnership with etisalat the app allows users to gain access to features such as remote control of locks horn headlights windows and the vehicle's air conditioning etc. In fact as per a Statista 2015 report the connected car market is set to grow rapidly in the coming years and within the Middle East and Africa region will be worth around 950 million by the e of 2016. Looking ahead the Dubai Water and Electricity Authority (Dewa) is working on the Green Charger initiative. This is Dewa's one of the three sustainability goals for the coming years (till 2017) and is aimed at making Dubai ready for electric charging vehicles. Most of these electric vehicles as and when they hit the Dubai roads will definitely have moderate to advanced levels of connectivity modules especially for in-car entrainment as well as some amount of engine diagnostics. However apart from this any more advanced applications - such as predictive traffic monitoring seamless and automatic traffic mapping vehicle to vehicle communication advanced remote diagnostics and repair etc - are at least about five years away from main stream adoption. There are many reasons for this the prime among them being that of data privacy and ownership. Connected cars are bound to generate large amounts of data and the proper ownership and cataloguing of this can help in remote diagnostics and flag ging potential issues. However for this to happen one prime question that needs to be addressed is about who owns the data - the car driver the car owner the technology or connectivity provider or the car manufacture? Here the data ownership will determine who needs to pay for the investment towards data protection and integrity and with whom ant potential future profits (arising out of higher car efficiency or longer lifetime) need to be shared. The business models around connected cars need to be evolved by addressing these basic issues first. The other big challenge around the connected cars is that of hacking and security breaches. This was brought to fore in July 2015 when Fiat Chrysler had to recall 1.4 million vehicles in the US after it was discovered that they could be controlled and disabled remotely by hacking into the car's Internet-connected entertainment system. In fact other leading car manufacturers might also be susceptible to similar vulnerabilities. Security thus could become a real stumbling block for the growth of connected cars. Another aspect of the connected car ecosystem that needs to be developed to foster their growth is that of policy and support infrastructure. Issues such as differential road taxes (such as tax concessions for better traffic management enabled via connectivity) insurance coverage and the ways to identify and apportion blame in cases of accidents - all these and other related matters need to openly debated and common solutions need to be adopted across the industry value-chain. Overall the outlook for the connected cars is positive both globally and within in the Middle East region. The UAE is a large market for vehicles and it is only a matter of time before some more the connected cars are seen widely on the country's roads. The writer is a UAE-based consultant specialising in telecommunications smart-city and information and communications technology. Views expressed by him are his own and do not reflect the new spaper's policy.

(MENAFN - Khaleej Times)

 

  MENA News Headlines  Feb 12 2016 -  Spain dismantles falcon trafficking ring destined for UAE races, The Peninsula (MENAFN - The Peninsula) (file photo / Reuters ) Madrid: Spanish police said Thursday they had dismantled an international ring that smuggled falcons to the United Arab Emirates where ...  Feb 12 2016 -  Russia raises spectre of world war if nations fail to negotiate over Syria, The Peninsula (MENAFN - The Peninsula) Russian Prime Minister DmitryMedvedevchairs a meeting with ministers and top officials on social and economic policy in Moscow on February 10 2016. REUTERS ...  Feb 12 2016 -  Germany offers 500 mln euros in credits to Iraq, The Peninsula (MENAFN - The Peninsula) German Chancellor AngelaMerkel(L) and Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi shake hands at a joint press conference after meeting at the Chancellery in Berlin on February 11 ...  Feb 12 2016 -  Russia claims US planes bombed Syria's Aleppo, The Peninsula (MENAFN - The Peninsula) Stalls are seen on a street beside damaged buildings in the rebel held al-Shaar neighborhood of Aleppo Syria February 10 2016. REUTERS Moscow:Russia's defence ...  Feb 12 2016 -  Erdogan threatens to send refugees to EU as NATO steps in, The Peninsula (MENAFN - The Peninsula) Syrian people wait in front of the Oncupinar crossing gate to go back to Syria near the town of Kilis in south-central Turkey on February 11 2016. AFP Ankara:Turkish ...  Feb 12 2016 -  Qatar- LNG deal 'key to Pakistan's prosperity', The Peninsula (MENAFN - The Peninsula) Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressing members of the Pakistani community at the Four Seasons hotel yesterday. Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula DOHA: ...  Feb 12 2016 -  Qatar- Emir visits Al Qassar Metro Station project, The Peninsula (MENAFN - The Peninsula) Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani is briefed on the project by Minister of Transport and Communications H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti. Doha: Emir H H Sheikh Tamim ...  Feb 12 2016 -  Qatar- PM opens Police Training Institute headquarters, The Peninsula (MENAFN - The Peninsula) Prime Minister and Interior Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani interact with officers after opening the headquarters of the Police Training ...  Feb 12 2016 -  Qatar- Festival opens to promote Sidra tree, The Peninsula (MENAFN - The Peninsula) Visitors at the 'Rhamnus' festival at Mazrouah Yard in Umm Salal yesterday. Pic: Baher / The Peninsula Doha: Mazrouah Yard the winter vegetable market in ...  Feb 12 2016 -  Qatar- Temporary diversion on part of Lijmiliya Road in both directions from Monday, The Peninsula (MENAFN - The Peninsula) Doha: The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) will implement a temporary diversion on part of Lijmiliya Road running about 2km in both directions. The closure start on ... more...
Source: Connected cars: Dubai's big theme for coming years

Are These the Flying Cars We’ve Been Waiting For?

This innovative company received FAA permission to test flying cars

As humans, it seems we are never satisfied with our incredible inventions. No sooner do we develop the automobile than we are looking for ways to make it fly.

In1940, Henry Ford himself proclaimed, "a combination of airplane and motorcar is coming." In 1964, Ian Fleming created perhaps the most famous flying car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Chinese drone manufacturer Ehang unveiled a one-seater, autonomous octo-copter. None of these, though, resembles the vision of automotive flight as closely as the Terrafugia TF-X, which recently won FAA approval to perform model test flights.

While they are undisputably awesome in theory, what makes flying cars any more feasible today than in the past? "The technological and regulatory change that is being driven by the UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) industry is laying the groundwork for flying car technologies to make their way to market," says Carl Dietrich, Terrafugia CEO/CTO. "From every angle, personal transportation is gearing up for massive change," including worldwide traffic congestion, autonomous vehicle control, and new regulations.

The tests authorized by the FAA allow Terrafugia to fly smaller models of their proposed hybrid-electric four-seater. Using models, they can "test the hovering capabilities of a one-tenth scale TF-X™ vehicle and gather flight characteristics data that will drive future design choices." The TF-X is currently under development and is not expected to be released for the next eight to twelve years, but design specifications include four-person capacity, five hundred mile range, vertical take-off and landing, and autonomous flight capability.

Terrafugia also produced the Transition, an airplane that folds in moments to become a street-legal car, but the vehicle requires pilot training and license to operate.

Terrafugia TF-X

Source: Are These the Flying Cars We've Been Waiting For?

Transporting Singapore into a brighter future

Presented by the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT)

More than just convenient and accelerated communication, smartphones offer us a clever way of living. Apps like Uber and Grab (previously known as GrabCar) have revolutionised the way we travel – personal transport is right at our doorstep with a few taps on a smartphone!

View photo

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But here's what's really smart about Uber and Grab: non-taxi drivers get to earn a quick buck while tackling Singapore's tax i problem (why is it they're never available when you need them?) without adding to road congestion. Happy drivers, happy passengers – all thanks to technology that has enabled these innovative services.

Although we're still a far cry from flying cars and teleportation, advancements in technology are slowly making science fiction a reality. With more smartphone and vehicle integrations being developed, it won't be long before motorists can control their cars via 4G networks – or even have your car parallel-park itself for you.

With Singapore's ever-growing population, we can only expect increased congestion on our streets to further affect our nation's mobility. However, technology can greatly alleviate the transportation woes of this little red dot.

Telematics, at the forefront of technology-meets-transportation, aims to 'connect' you to your vehicle. By adding communication features, anything from navigation to live weather reports can be sent d irectly to the driver.

But the science of telematics doesn't stop here. Imagine your car being connected not just to your own personal devices but to an extended intelligent network, an all-encompassing transportation information web that works in real time. We've all seen ambulances stuck in traffic, lights flashing but going nowhere, while someone suffers inside. With telematics, that doesn't have to happen. Emergency vehicles can leverage technology to alert drivers of their approach well in advance through wireless signals – where cars may even override driver control and automatically clear the way. Cars may be equipped with sensors that alert drivers to road accidents, possibly even pre-empting and preventing collisions altogether.

Does that sound exciting to you? If you want to harness the power of technology and streamline the way people move and travel, take up the Telematics (Intelligent Transport Systems Engineering) degree programme at Singapore Inst itute of Technology (SIT). You'll be creating the future of mobility.

The four-year degree programme consists of two primary disciplines: Vehicular Telematics and Intelligent Transportation Systems Engineering. It is the first of its kind in Singapore and offers you plenty of opportunities to be part of Singapore's booming transport industry. The programme also covers deeper learning into wireless technology and informatics (the science of processing data).

"Intelligent Transportation Systems is at the heart of what keeps us safe in our city's road systems. Vehicles of tomorrow will have the capability to communicate with nearby vehicles wirelessly, sharing useful information on their surroundings and providing commuters and motorists with an enhanced travel experience," says Assistant Professor Zheng Jianxin, Programme Director, SIT.

During the programme, students will embark on an eight-month Integrated Work Study Programme (IWSP) where they will work on a number of state-of-the-art technologies and gain valuable experience working alongside Singapore's top transport industries and automotive companies such as the Land Transport Authority and Continental Automotive Singapore Pte Ltd, solving some of the country's biggest transport conundrums.

After four years, graduates will be equipped with skills to discover and invent new technologies to help counter the challenges faced by Singapore's growing transit system. "Graduates from this interdisciplinary programme will have a competitive advantage in the job market," says Assistant Prof Zheng.

With fresh young minds gaining experience working on industry-relevant projects, who knows what breakthroughs the next 10 years of Singapore's transport industry will occur? We are that much closer to developing autonomous cars and traffic infrastructures to better enhance the safety of both motorists and pedestrians on our roads.

When tomorrow's solutions to to day's transportation issues arrive, it will be the current generation of students – currently enrolling in SIT's Telematics degree programme – that are confidently leading the way of transforming Singapore into a Smart Nation with an intelligent transport network.

Learn more about the Bachelor of Engineering with Honours in Telematics at SIT.

Transportation

Singapore

Source: Transporting Singapore into a brighter future

Are These the Flying Cars We’ve Been Waiting For?

This innovative company received FAA permission to test flying cars

As humans, it seems we are never satisfied with our incredible inventions. No sooner do we develop the automobile than we are looking for ways to make it fly.

In1940, Henry Ford himself proclaimed, "a combination of airplane and motorcar is coming." In 1964, Ian Fleming created perhaps the most famous flying car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, Chinese drone manufacturer Ehang unveiled a one-seater, autonomous octo-copter. None of these, though, resembles the vision of automotive flight as closely as the Terrafugia TF-X, which recently won FAA approval to perform model test flights.

While they are undisputably awesome in theory, what makes flying cars any more feasible today than in the past? "The technological and regulatory change that is being driven by the UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) industry is laying the groundwork for flying car technologies to make their way to market," says Carl Dietrich, Terrafugia CEO/CTO. "From every angle, personal transportation is gearing up for massive change," including worldwide traffic congestion, autonomous vehicle control, and new regulations.

The tests authorized by the FAA allow Terrafugia to fly smaller models of their proposed hybrid-electric four-seater. Using models, they can "test the hovering capabilities of a one-tenth scale TF-X™ vehicle and gather flight characteristics data that will drive future design choices." The TF-X is currently under development and is not expected to be released for the next eight to twelve years, but design specifications include four-person capacity, five hundred mile range, vertical take-off and landing, and autonomous flight capability.

Terrafugia also produced the Transition, an airplane that folds in moments to become a street-legal car, but the vehicle requires pilot training and license to operate.

Terrafugia TF-X

Source: Are These the Flying Cars We've Been Waiting For?