SMART

Author: Kristina Bjoran

Many high-end cars today come equipped with brake assist systems, which help a driver use the brakes correctly depending on particular conditions in an emergency. But what if the car could apply the brakes before the driver even moved?

This is what German researchers have successfully simulated, as reported in the Journal of Neural Engineering. With electrodes attached to the scalps and right legs of drivers in a driving simulator, they used both electroencephalography (EEG) and electromyography (EMG) respectively to detect the intent to brake. These electrical signals were seen 130 milliseconds before drivers actually hit the brakes—enough time to reduce the braking distance by nearly four meters.

Seated facing three monitors in a driving simulator, each subject was told to drive about 18 meters behind a computer-driven virtual car traveling at about 100 kilometers per hour (about 60 mph). The simulation also included oncoming traffic and winding roads. When the car ahead suddenly flashed brake lights, the human drivers also braked. With the resulting EEG and EMG data, the researchers were able to identify signals that occurred consistently during emergency brake response situations.

“None of these [signals] are specific to braking,” says Stefan Haufe, a researcher in the Machine Learning Group at the Technical University of Berlin and lead author of the study. “However, we show that the co-occurrence of these brain potentials is specific to sudden emergency situations, such as pre-crash situations.” So while false positives from the signal are possible, the combination of EEG and EMG data makes a false positive much less likely.

Read the full article at http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/38159/?p1=A1

Car fleet renewal programmes in US, France, Germany fall short of their potential on emissions and safety benefits.

Car fleet renewal schemes introduced in the US, France and Germany fell short of their potential to deliver on environmental and safety objectives, according to a new report published by the International Transport Forum at the OECD and the FIA Foundation today.

The focus of the 70-page study are three of the largest car fleet renewal schemes introduced primarily to stimulate consumer spending on cars in the wake of the 2008 economic crisis.

The study investigates the impact on CO2 and NOx emissions of 2.8 million transactions in which old cars were traded for new vehicles under car fleet renewal schemes in France, Germany and the United States. The report assesses the value for money of the different schemes and identifies critical design elements for ensuring success in meeting the environmental and safety objectives.

Read the full story at http://www.internationaltransportforum.org/Press/PDFs/2011-07-11.pdf.

The University of Michigan Eco-Driving Index (EDI) is a national index that estimates the average monthly amount of greenhouse gasses produced by an individual U.S. driver who has purchased a new vehicle that month. The amount of greenhouse gasses emitted when using internal-combustion engines depends on the amount of fuel used. The EDI estimates the amount of fuel used (and thus the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted) by taking into account two primary variables: the fuel economy of the vehicle and the distance driven.

The EDI is developed and updated by Michael Sivak and Brandon Schoettle.

View the Eco-Driving Index at http://www.umich.edu/~umtriswt/ecodriving.html

Author: Colin Bird

I’m sure that to most auto enthusiasts, the dawn of driverless car technology is as unwanted as a new three-cylinder Geo Metro, but it may surprise you to learn that not all drivers agree.

In fact, 49% of people would be comfortable “driving” a driverless car, according to a survey conducted by Accenture, a consulting firm.

The study primarily focused on users’ frustrations of the performance and complexity of certain electronic devices, such as mobile phones, TVs and computers. Sixty-three percent of survey respondents also said they would like more in-car sensors — such as lane departure warning systems or parking sonars — if they would reduce car insurance premiums.

Autonomous technology is progressing at a judicious pace. It was only a few years ago when clumsy, experimental vehicles had trouble navigating simple, cordoned-off courses. Fast-forward to the present, when Google has managed to drive a robotic Toyota Prius 140,000 miles through heavily trafficked areas in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Some consumers already drive vehicles with lane departure warning systems, adaptive cruise control, crash avoidance and self-parking features, all of which can nearly mimic the whole kit and caboodle of autonomous driving.

Read the full article at http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2011/02/survey-49-prefer-cars-that-could-drive-themselves.html