From: Emlyn O'regan (oregan.emlyn@healthsolve.com.au)
Date: Wed Jan 16 2002 - 17:26:51 MST
This stuff will really start to get interesting if people can make it work
on more complex track networks... this one's just a loop. If you could get a
grid going, and the cars could intelligently find their way around the grid
to waiting passengers, then take them to their destination without needing a
driver, well, that'd be something!
Emlyn
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sean Kenny [mailto:seankenny@blueyonder.co.uk]
> Sent: Thursday, 17 January 2002 9:34
> To: extropians@extropy.org
> Subject: Re: ARTICLE: Driverless 'taxi' to be unveiled
>
>
>
> > Driverless 'taxi' to be unveiled
> >
> > Cardiff City Council is about to unveil a test track for
> its Urban Light
> > Transport taxi system.
> >
> > The so-called Ultra is a driverless, personal vehicle which
> runs on its own
> > raised guideway and is activated by a smartcard.
> >
>
> I've been on one of the test vehicles - it's really just a 4
> seater monorail
> train, they stop at a lay-by style "station" about every 1/4
> mile if they
> sense a passenger waiting. I wasn't very impressed. Same University
> department that produced the slug eating/powered robots
> though, which was
> pretty cool.
>
> > A team from Bristol University are developing the project
> with the help of
> > a £1.6 million grant from a French technology group.
> >
> > The system was created by the university's Professor Martin
> Lowson who
> > previously worked on the moon-landing space programme.
> >
> > A Cardiff council spokesman says the circular test track
> has been built on
> > land near Cardiff Bay and is about a mile long.
> >
> > Academics and engineers will test a number of prototype
> vehicles on the
> > circuit to see how well and cheaply it can operate.
> >
> > Story filed: 20:17 Wednesday 16th January 2002
>
***************************************************************************
Confidentiality: The contents of this email are confidential and are
intended only for the named recipient. If the reader of this e-mail is not
the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any use, reproduction,
disclosure or distribution of the information contained in the e-mail is
prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please reply to us
immediately and delete the document.
Viruses: Any loss/damage incurred by using this material is not the sender's
responsibility. Our entire liability will be limited to resupplying the
material. No warranty is made that this material is free from computer virus
or other defect.
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Sat Nov 02 2002 - 09:11:43 MST