From: Emlyn O'regan (oregan.emlyn@healthsolve.com.au)
Date: Wed Jan 16 2002 - 17:26:51 MST
This stuff will really start to get interesting if people can make it work
on more complex track networks... this one's just a loop. If you could get a
grid going, and the cars could intelligently find their way around the grid
to waiting passengers, then take them to their destination without needing a
driver, well, that'd be something!
Emlyn
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Sean Kenny [mailto:seankenny@blueyonder.co.uk]
> Sent: Thursday, 17 January 2002 9:34
> To: extropians@extropy.org
> Subject: Re: ARTICLE: Driverless 'taxi' to be unveiled
>
>
>
> > Driverless 'taxi' to be unveiled
> >
> > Cardiff City Council is about to unveil a test track for
> its Urban Light
> > Transport taxi system.
> >
> > The so-called Ultra is a driverless, personal vehicle which
> runs on its own
> > raised guideway and is activated by a smartcard.
> >
>
> I've been on one of the test vehicles - it's really just a 4
> seater monorail
> train, they stop at a lay-by style "station" about every 1/4
> mile if they
> sense a passenger waiting. I wasn't very impressed. Same University
> department that produced the slug eating/powered robots
> though, which was
> pretty cool.
>
> > A team from Bristol University are developing the project
> with the help of
> > a £1.6 million grant from a French technology group.
> >
> > The system was created by the university's Professor Martin
> Lowson who
> > previously worked on the moon-landing space programme.
> >
> > A Cardiff council spokesman says the circular test track
> has been built on
> > land near Cardiff Bay and is about a mile long.
> >
> > Academics and engineers will test a number of prototype
> vehicles on the
> > circuit to see how well and cheaply it can operate.
> >
> > Story filed: 20:17 Wednesday 16th January 2002
>
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