The largest truck in the world is about to become the largest robotic vehicle in the world. Scientists from Carnegie Mellon University have developed a robot to ‘sit behind the wheel’ and control the 700-tonne truck. The Caterpillar trucks were originally built to haul loads of up to 240 tonnes. The trucks will now be equipped with numerous high-tech gadgets and software to keep them on the road. Laser range finders and video equipment sweep the road ahead to find large objects. All of the information gathered is run through a computer program which tells the robotic driver to avoid the obstacle or not and by how much.

The technology was developed to reduce maintenance costs and increase productivity in the mining industry. “Mines are also dangerous, and removing humans from dangerous jobs will help save lives,” said Mark Campbell, a DARPA Urban Challenge participant from Cornell University. Unfortunately the technology will not be available on the common market any time soon, as the urban environment provides too many obstacles.

The Army have been put on stand-by to help the elderly and the vulnerable as Britain faces temperatures as low as -10C this week. The Met Office have set the alert status to amber, which is a level at which the emergency services and local councils will be able to cope unaided, but if the alert is changed to red, extra help will be needed. The alerts system was introduced last November to cut the number of winter deaths.

‘People should keep up to date with the forecast, wrap up warm and keep an eye on elderly and vulnerable neighbours,’ said Met  Office spokesman Alison Richards. Here are a few tips from the Met Office on how to stay safe in the harsh winter conditions.

• Avoid any unnecessary travel in severe weather.
• If you have to make a journey when snow is forecast, make sure you have warm clothes, food, water, boots, a torch and spade, and let someone know when you expect to arrive and your route. Try to wait until the roads have been gritted before travelling.
• Take care driving on snow, as it may have become compacted and turned to ice.
• Take care when shovelling snow. Cold air makes it harder to work and breathe, which adds some extra strain on the body and can be the cause of heart attacks in the vulnerable.

The icy blasts from Siberia will create the longest cold snap of the winter so far, so take care this week when travelling about the UK.

The European Commission have funded a project to develop technologies that will allow road trains to operate on normal public roads with substantial benefits to comfort, safety, and the environment. The SARTRE project has just seen the successful completion of the first test demonstrations, which included a lead truck followed by three cars driven entirely autonomously at speeds of up to 90 km/h – with no more than 6 metres gap between the vehicles. 

Although cars are the principal subject of the experiment at present, many believe that it is in the road haulage sector that the project might well prove most useful. Tom Robinson of Ricardo UK said: “The successful completion of the first multiple vehicle tests of the SARTRE system is a significant achievement. This has allowed us to demonstrate the operation of SARTRE road train technology to key industry experts and to capture their responses, all of which were very encouraging. The demonstration system provides us with a solid foundation for further consideration of the challenges of bringing road trains to reality”.

….but not the kind you’d expect! This guy has found a novel way to entertain himself on a rainy day.

Have a great weekend everyone!

BP announced yesterday in their annual Energy Outlook report that over the next two decades the renewable sector will continue to be the fastest growing in the global energy market.  Growth is expected at an average of eight per cent a year up to 2030 which is much higher than the predicted growth for natural gas at two per cent a year. However, despite the increase in demand for energy, which is predicted at 39 per cent over the period, renewables will still only account for 19 per cent of the global energy output compared to fossil fuels 81 per cent. The report warned that, without major technological breakthroughs, the roll-out of green technologies will fail to deliver net reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. Global CO2 emissions could rise by 28 per cent over the next two decades, although with more aggressive policies we could see a decline by 2030. “This report is by turns challenging, fascinating and stimulating for anyone in the energy business. It helps us to be both realistic and optimistic,” said BP chief executive Bob Dudley in a statement. “It shows there are things we can’t change, like the underlying drivers of energy demand, and things we can change, like the way we satisfy that demand.”

The north-east of England has been congratulated by transport minister Norman Baker, after it was found to have the most charging points for electric cars. The North East was one of the first three areas in the country to provide charging points and by the end of January, 300 points will have been installed running all the way from Middlesbrough to Berwick. The aim of the Charge Your Car project, launched in 2010, is to have over 1000 charging points installed by 2013 in residential areas, at businesses and in public car parks.

Mr Baker said: “These cutting edge vehicles have the potential to revolutionise motoring in this country but they will only be a truly viable option if drivers are able to easily re-charge.” If more initiatives like the Charge Your Car project are introduced, electric vehicles could become more common throughout the UK.