Tag: Autonomous Driving

In future, edible drones could be used to reach inaccessible locations. Now a Danish research team wants to equip large sea vessels with fully autonomous drones. If someone falls overboard, the drone is immediately dispatched complete with an inflatable life jacket that sends a GPS signal. This improves the person’s survival chances and enables lifeboats to locate them quickly....

A robot removes algae from ships’ hulls autonomously. Now, a Norwegian startup is using automated technology to combat mildew and fungal mould on grapevines. Here, too, there is no need for chemicals, as the electrically-powered robot doesn’t employ oil or sulphur, but soft UV-C light. The latter specifically breaks up the DNA of pests and viruses while protecting the...

A robot banishes harmful algae slicks to the ocean floor. And, according to an Australian research team, oil spills could soon be hoovered up by mini-robots. Key here: a new filter with small, air-filled pouches, coated with a water-resistant nanolayer of graphene oxide. It separates oil with 95% purity and can be extensively reused. The 3D-printed, electrically-operated mini-robot complete...

Self-driving containers on the railway network should reduce street traffic. Staff shortages in fruit and vegetable farming are creating logistical issues within the industry. An area a New Zealand-based startup is addressing with its automated mini-tractor designed for narrow alleys. Weighing just 120kg, the sleek EV can tow an additional 600kg of weight, while a hitch system allows different...

Slowing down container ships saves on CO2. And now a US-based startup is making the switch from road to rail in the logistics sector more efficient by developing a purely electric, driverless transport system. The system uses gripping arms to load containers onto the loading surface and operates autonomously on roads. The switch to rail networks is made possible...

Electric shoes can increase walking speeds. To New Zealand, where a startup is looking at cable cars as a local transport alternative to trains, buses and cars. Unlike a traditional aerial gondola with its moving cables and fixed cabins, here modules are fitted with an electric engine. The cabins move autonomously along a guideway of static cable and rail,...

Trains offer sustainable transportation, especially when they remove CO2. Buses, too, at least compared with private cars. But the average usage rate of public transportation is only 15% in Europe. The electric ‘collective’ taxis developed by an Italian startup could soon change all that, because on shared routes, their modules combine together to make buses. Depending on the desired...

Converting your cabrio to a campervan should soon be a possibility. Now, a New York startup has developed a versatile machine to keep your house and garden shipshape all year round. The cordless robot can be turned into a lawn mower, leaf-blower or snow plough by attaching one of three different modules. The area to be cleaned is defined...