Automotive

Environmentally conscious hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs), which are driven partly by an electric motor controlled by a power control unit (PCU), are currently increasing in popularity. Toyota’s research efforts have led to downsizing the power cards and reducing the power loss of the PCU. On the power card, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) and…

FLIR Systems (NASDAQ: FLIR) today announced the results from recent automatic emergency braking (AEB) tests that examined how adding a thermal sensor and fusing the data with a radar, a visible sensor and a trained neural network can improve pedestrian detection from current AEB systems. Following positive proof-of-concept test results announced earlier this year, FLIR…

Dow (NYSE: DOW) today announced its MobilityScience platform designed to enhance the customer experience by tailoring technologies, products and services from across Dow businesses to the transportation industry. The platform is pursuing accelerated growth by addressing mobility mega-trends with material science innovation and enabling a seamless experience for Dow’s customers and partners. Dow MobilityScience is…

By: Rob Matheson | MIT News Office A simulation system invented at MIT to train driverless cars creates a photorealistic world with infinite steering possibilities, helping the cars learn to navigate a host of worse-case scenarios before cruising down real streets. Control systems, or “controllers,” for autonomous vehicles largely rely on real-world datasets of driving…

Southwest Research Institute, a leading innovator of machine learning technologies, has developed a motion prediction system that enhances pedestrian detection for automated vehicles. The computer vision tool uses a novel deep-learning algorithm to predict motion by observing real-time biomechanical movements with the pelvic area being a key indicator for changes. “For instance, if a pedestrian…

Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has received a five-year, $25 million contract from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide testing and analytical services related to vehicle emissions and fuel efficiency. SwRI will conduct emissions characterization and technology assessment under the “Testing and Analytical Services for Regulation of Motor Vehicles, Engines, and Fuels and Fuel…

Southwest Research Institute has created a new test that significantly reduces the time and fuel needed to evaluate the formation of internal deposits on diesel engine fuel injectors. The test utilizes a custom-built injector rig. Any deposits formed in the injector are measured with a variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometer (VASE), which is a tool typically…

The city of Amsterdam envisions a future where fleets of autonomous boats cruise its many canals to transport goods and people, collect trash, or self-assemble into floating stages and bridges. To further that vision, MIT researchers have given new capabilities to their fleet of robotic boats—which are being developed as part of an ongoing project—that…

Researchers in Japan have developed a new simulation technique that may improve how car doors and other automotive parts are made. A team from Kanazawa University have simulated the industrial process for stamping features into metal sheets without causing the sheets to tear, twist or bend, while optimizing the stamping press and reducing the costs…

Advancements in zero-emission fuel cells could make the technology cheap enough to replace traditional gasoline engines in vehicles, according to researchers at the University of Waterloo. The researchers have developed a new fuel cell that lasts at least 10 times longer than current technology, an improvement that would make them economically practical, if mass-produced, to…

If you have a new or late model car, most likely it’s connected: GPS navigation, that infotainment panel, the wireless network your car creates—they’re all ways for your car to provide information, whether it’s to give you directions, ping other vehicles, or to check in with infrastructure like traffic signals, signs or bridges. All of…

If you have ever wondered how much electric vehicle (EV) adoption actually matters for the environment, a new study provides evidence that making this switch would improve overall air quality and lower carbon emissions. The Northwestern University study quantified the differences in air pollution generated from battery-powered electric vehicles versus internal combustion engines. The researchers…

Sensors in autonomous vehicles have to be extremely reliable, since in the future motorists will no longer constantly monitor traffic while underway. In the past these sensors were subjected to arduous road tests. The new ATRIUM testing device from Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR now makes it possible to move…

One of the biggest concerns regarding the future of self-driving vehicles is how they will handle different and unexpected conditions. Stanford University researchers have created a new technique to control autonomous cars by integrating prior driving experiences that enable the vehicle to perform better in extreme and unknown conditions. The researchers tested their new system…

Vehicles could be affordably produced for a wide variety of specialized purposes using a sophisticated wheel unit developed by researchers at the University of Waterloo. The self-contained unit combines a wheel and an electric motor with braking, suspension, steering and a control system in a single module designed to be bolted to any vehicle frame.…

It’s dark on the backroad as a motorist speeds toward the intersection. Up ahead, the stop sign blends with the night and in seconds a deadly crash occurs. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, more than half of all roadway fatalities occur on rural roads. Now engineers at The University of Texas at San…

For an automobile designer, one of the most challenging and time-consuming aspects of creating a new vehicle is having to sketch in 2D sketch while thinking in 3D. Gravity Sketch, a UK-based virtual reality (VR) software firm, is working to provide car companies, including Ford Motor Company, with VR tools that will allow designers to…