Category: transportation – Page 537
No more planes? Hyperloop test facility unveiled in Netherlands
A Hyperloop test facility has been unveiled in the Netherlands, bringing Elon Musk’s vision of transporting pods of people through a tube at incredibly high speeds one step closer to fruition.
The test facility, a 30-meter-long (100ft), 3.2-meter-diameter (10.5ft) steel tube, is located at Delft Technical University.
“In this facility we will test all systems that don’t require high speeds,” said Tim Houter, CEO of Hardt Global Mobility, which is working on the project with construction company BAM, as quoted by Reuters.
Tomorrow’s Robots Will Train in Simulators, Just Like Today’s Troops
Several firms are working on training environments like Star Trek’s Holodeck, but for machines.
When future robots enter the world, they won’t have a learning curve.
Artificial intelligence researchers are creating tools to help teach the robots that will assemble our gadgets in factories, or do chores around our home, before they ever step (or roll) into the real world. These simulators, most recently announced by Nvidia as a project called Isaac’s Lab but also pioneered by Alphabet’s DeepMind and Elon Musk’s OpenAI, are 3D spaces that have physics just like reality, with virtual objects that act the same way as their physical counterparts.
Waymo working on self-driving trucks
N” Alphabet Inc’s (GOOGL.O) self-driving car unit Waymo is working on developing self-driving trucks, the company said on Thursday.
Waymo, which is looking to expand its self-driving car efforts, expects autonomous vehicles to be able to take over longer distance trucking in the coming years, while allowing human drivers to handle local pickup and delivery routes.
“We’re taking our eight years of experience in building self-driving hardware and software and conducting a technical exploration into how our technology can integrate into a truck,” a Waymo spokesperson said in a statement.
Dutch testing tube unveiled by Hyperloop transport system
A Dutch tech startup and a construction company on Thursday unveiled a Hyperloop test facility, a steel tube that will be used to help develop the futuristic high-speed transportation system.
It is a first step toward developing the system in the Netherlands, a key European transportation transport hub, and beyond.
“It’s our goal to let it be available for the daily commuter,” said Tim Houter, CEO of Hardt Global Mobility, which is working on the project with construction company BAM. He described the concept as “a sort of on-demand, high-speed transportation system for everyone.”
Stratolaunch aircraft with wingspan length of FOOTBALL FIELD unveiled
Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen unveiled the world’s largest aircraft on Wednesday.
The massive plane rolled out by Allen’s aerospace firm, Stratolaunch Systems, features the longest wingspan of any aircraft ever built, according to Popular Mechanics.
With a wingspan of 385 feet, the six-engine plane will be larger than Howard Hughes’ 1947 H-4 Hercules, known as the ‘Spruce Goose,’ and the Antonov An-225, a Soviet-era cargo plane originally built to transport the Buran space shuttle that is currently the world’s largest aircraft.
Spy shots reveal Tesla Model 3’s radical single screen dashboard
Anticipation is growing for the July release of Tesla’s ‘affordable’ $35,000 Model 3.
Now, the latest shots of Telsa testing the car may have revealed one of its final secrets — what the interior will look like.
The shots, taken near Tesla’s headquarters in Palo Alto, California, reveal the car has a single screen and no traditional instruments.