Audi’s all electric SUV is destined for production following its unveiling at the IAA 2015. The vehicle, which it is hoped will be in production in 2018 will have a range of 310 miles and is expected to be one of the stars at next month’s IAA in Frankfurt.
The Audi etron Quattro benefits from the expertise in developing the R8 etron and will be the brands first large series electric car.
Self driving cars, whilst once a novel and entertaining idea have now become a regular news feature. The design and rigorous testing they are going through is all in an effort to see road safety improved by eliminating driving error.
In fact a recent report in manufacturing.net stated that in the 6 years and 1.9 million miles of testing by Google there have only been 14 accidents involving their self driving cars. Google say that none of the accidents were caused by their self driving cars. In 11 of the 14 accidents, the self driving car was rear ended, by distracted drivers.
So, could autonomous applications be applied to ships to improve efficiencies and also the level of CO2 emissions, which are twice that of the aviation industry? Could we see autonomous ships at sea? Rolls Royce think so.
Will this be the way to solve overcrowding in big cities?
For years there has been concern over the space available for new buildings, whether it’s housing or industrial. Skyscrapers have got taller and taller and the space between buildings has reduced. But still, this isn’t solving the problem of overcrowding and in some countries planning authorities are becoming uncomfortable with the higher structures.
Living like the fictional Wombles, ‘underground’ is increasingly looking as though it could become a reality at some point in the future. We travel underground regularly, even using tunnels to get to other countries, so why not take that next step?
All areas of engineering are evolving and developing and we like to keep an eye on what’s going on, reporting from time to time on innovative and sometimes controversial developments.
When it comes to robotics most of the things we’ve written about have been ground breaking developments that have meant that safety can be increased or that major improvements in quality of life can be achieved.
We even wrote about whether increased automation means that less skill will be required in the future. It seems the answer is no – operators still need to understand what they’re doing, why they’re doing it and what could go wrong. However, automation can and does help improve efficiency.
The constant mission to reduce pollution and produce more fuel efficient vehicles led to major research and development in the auto industry. Now all major car manufacturers have a hybrid vehicle in their suite of offerings.
With air traffic forecast to continue to increase there are demands for additional runways and extra services. This, of course causes conflict. Flight companies want to meet the needs of the consumers, but plans for increasing runways and flight services are meeting opposition due to the anticipated increase in noise and pollution.
Could there be a solution? Can we ever have quieter runways and less pollution? Siemens and Airbus think we can!
Being involved in the rail industry, we at PRV like to keep an eye on the latest developments and innovations coming over the horizon, whether it’s to do with passenger travel, the moving of freight or the development of the trains of the future. So the recent headline about a UK company winning funding to develop a solution for passenger travel and the movement of freight for the future caught our eye.
A St Ives based company has won a share of £2.2m through the Tomorrow’s Train Design Today (TTDT) programme.
Their train carriage design, where passenger carriages can be reconfigured to carry freight or passengers at different times, is one of 3 designs that won a share of the funds to develop the rolling stock of the future.
PRV engineering like to move with the times and have invested heavily over the last few years in more modern, improved 5 axis machines. We keep an eye on developments as we want to be able to provide the best service possible.
There are a whole host of reasons why 5 axis machining improves our service. These range from overall time reductions in production to better drilling and programming.
However, technology and development moves on and the latest development is in additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing (increasingly being known by the more common term 3D printing) is the process of making 3D objects from data by joining successful layers of materials.
At a time when development within the rail industry is gathering pace, battery powered trains are poised to make a comeback. Battery powered trains have been used for around 100 years, but expanded use has been held back by battery technologies.
Now, the first passenger train of its kind in over 50 years has recently undergone a five-week trial in a bid to prove the viability of more eco-friendly alternatives to diesel-powered locomotives.
Back in 2013, The Independently Powered Electric Multiple Unit (IPEMU) came into force. It draws power from overhead lines and then lowers its pantograph to allow it to run on its batteries instead, so enabling it to run over non electrified lines. The challenge was in finding an effective energy storage system or battery.
2 years and much development later, the IPEMU will now run a weekday service between Harwich International and Manningtree stations in Essex.
The sight of a paralysed woman controlling a robotic arm, using just her thoughts, was enough to dominate the headlines in 2012.
At the time, experts in the field said it was an “unprecedented performance” and a “remarkable achievement”.
Two years on, the same woman has taken another significant step towards restoring her natural movements by controlling the arm with a range of complex hand movements.
Jan Scheuermann, who has longstanding quadriplegia, is now able to give high fives and thumbs up.
The plaudits go to researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, who have increased the manoeuvrability of the robotic arm from seven to 10 dimensions.
When plans for the state-of-the-art Driverless Cars were first mooted, there were plenty of raised eyebrows and an equal number of genuine sceptics. However, the plans went ahead with experts claiming that driverless car would be an important step for road safety.
They could take over driving on roads, just like autopilots take control of airplanes, while the pilot often has nothing to do but just sit and wait for landing. There would be fewer car accidents and road fatalities.
Experts also believe cars that drive themselves would represent the most significant transformation in road travel since the introduction of the internal combustion engine.
Five years on and four sites in England have been earmarked for trials of driverless cars. The process will begin in the New Year. The trials have been made possible with £10m of funding from Innovate UK, the government’s Technology Strategy Board.
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