Month: December 2012

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From Autoblog: Report: New Vancouver bridge closed because design causes “ice bombs” to rain down on cars [w/video]

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Spanning 10 lanes of traffic, the Port Mann Bridge (shown in the rendering above) just outside of Vancouver, Canada is currently the widest bridge in the world. Unfortunately, it might also hold a new record for the shortest period of time a new bridge has remained open.

The cable-stayed bridge just opened to full traffic earlier this month, but on Wednesday it was shut down due to massive chunks of ice falling from the cables and striking vehicles, which sent at least two people to the hospital. According to CBC News, the bridge has since reopened to traffic, but apparently nothing has been done about the falling ice as the Vancouver area is slammed with a severe winter storm.

Construction of the bridge began back in 2009 at a cost of more than $3 billion, but it isn’t clear if any changes are needed to prevent this sort of damage from happening in the future. Images of vehicles posted on The Province show damage that ranges from shattered windows and windshields to some pretty intense body damage. Scroll down to watch a news report from CBC News as well as a time-lapse video of the bridge’s construction from August 2009 through January 2012.

Continue reading New Vancouver bridge closed because design causes “ice bombs” to rain down on cars [w/video]

New Vancouver bridge closed because design causes “ice bombs” to rain down on cars [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 Dec 2012 10:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From Autoblog: Report: How Carfax has cornered the market on car history reports

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Carfax Car Fox

Ever wonder why Carfax seems to be the only company you ever hear about that offers vehicle history reports?

According to an Automotive News report, Carfax has created undeniable brand cachet, and it has also arranged some deals that make it difficult for the competition to gain footing. Marketing agreements, inked with sites like AutoTrader.com and Cars.com, mean that dealers who would like to advertise on these sites are forced to use Carfax instead of less expensive competitors. AutoCheck, from Experian Automotive Inc, provides a similar service, and Cars.com allows for the use of AutoCheck, causing a battle between it and Carfax. At the moment, Carfax has roughly 32,000 dealers, compared to AutoCheck’s 12,000.

Those dealers using Carfax are paying much more than those using AutoCheck. Pressure from clever ad campaigns and slogans like “Show me the Carfax,” lead customers to think that Carfax offers the only legitimate vehicle history report available. That said, other dealers contend that Carfax has far more comprehensive reports, and favorable in-dealership support.

According to Automotive News, there are ten vehicle history report providers, including Carfax and AutoCheck, but in a market where the only competition is a near-unknown, Carfax can afford to do business like it is the only show in town.

How Carfax has cornered the market on car history reports originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 17 Dec 2012 07:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From Autoblog: Official: BMW, Boeing weave agreement on carbon fiber recycling research

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BMW has been at the forefront of volume automakers looking to invest in carbon fiber technology. The latest development in the German automaker’s efforts is in the form of a joint venture with aircraft giant Boeing. According to a joint press release, the two companies will collaborate on further development of the lightweight material, including production methods and carbon fiber recycling.

The partnership is a fitting one, as Boeing and BMW have both been pushing carbon fiber development in their respective industries. BMW has invested in carbon fiber producer SGL Group, and created the i3 and i8 concepts with heavy use of the material. Meanwhile, Boeing has developed the 787 Dreamliner (seen above), which is 50 percent carbon fiber.

The recycling of these materials, including recycling excess byproduct as well as the product at the end of its use, is essential. According to the press release below, the two companies will together look for ways to reclaim the material at the end of its product life.

Seattle, WA is the corporate home for Boeing, and is a little over 2.5 hours from BMW’s Moses Lake facility. Washington State Governor Christine Gregoire helped BMW secure the location for that facility, and and played a roll in putting together this joint venture. “This exciting partnership between two global players was an industry win for our state,” said Gregoire, “this will help Washington further develop our capabilities and leadership position in the game-changing technology of carbon fiber.”

This development will hopefully yield less expensive production methods, and the proliferation of carbon fiber material in both the aeronautical and automotive industries. Check out more on this development in the press release below.

Continue reading BMW, Boeing weave agreement on carbon fiber recycling research

BMW, Boeing weave agreement on carbon fiber recycling research originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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From Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now: North Korea’s Satellite Is Tumbling Out Of Control

North Korea: Rocket Is Good, Satellite Not So Much
The rogue nation reached space on Monday, but its orbiting ‘space vehicle’ is now hurtling uncontrolled and poses a threat to other satellites.

Here’s something troubling to start your afternoon: North Korea launched a new satellite into space earlier this week and now it’s apparently tumbling out of control amid all the other satellites that the world relies on.

That’s not really all that unexpected, but after successfully reaching orbital space on Monday there was some degree of hope–even in the midst of condemnation for what the global community sees as a thinly veiled ballistic missile test–that North Korean engineers have a clue what they are doing. It’s becoming increasingly clear that they do not.

The satellite has an unstable trajectory, American officials have said. It could come crashing back to Earth. And there’s a remote chance it could collide with something else in orbit. More on this as it develops, but for now it looks like North Korea’s space program is off to quite a shaky start.

[The Independent]

from Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now

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From Engadget: University of Bath develops efficient vector-based video, says pixels are old hat

University of the Bath develops vector-based video, may retire the pixel

The pixel does the job for most digital imagery — it sure makes for a fine shirt — but it’s not so hot for video, where growing resolutions chew up gobs of bandwidth. There may be a wiser strategy coming from the University of Bath, whose researchers have developed a more efficient approach to movie codecs. Their new format uses vectors to render footage with colored contours that demand fewer resources than a dot-by-dot approach. While vector-based rendering isn’t original in itself, the researchers’ method is supposedly unique in filling the gaps between the contours with the kind of visual quality a pro videographer would crave. The university team is confident enough that it’s talking to major companies about using the codec for post-production tools, and sees it spreading to mobile devices where connection speeds and storage are at a premium. It could take years for vector-based video to catch on; if the technology ever upsets the pixel’s reign, though, more than a few Vectrex owners may see it as poetic justice.

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Source: University of Bath

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From Discover Magazine: Video Gaming Skills May Translate to Robotic Surgery

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB) is in the top tier when it comes to robotic surgeries. But when UTMB’s doctors training to be surgeons performed robotic simulations side by side with video game-playing high school and college students, the young gamers actually beat them out. The results were presented at a conference on minimally invasive gynecology [pdf] in November.

The surgery simulation used in the study resembles a video game boo

from Discover Magazine

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From Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now: China Fires Officials Who Sanctioned Secret Feeding Of Genetically Modified Rice To Kids

Golden Rice Compared to regular white rice, “golden” rice, at the top, has been genetically modified to produce beta carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. International Rice Research Institute via Wikipedia
Parents were told the rice contained beta carotene, but weren’t informed that it was thanks to genetic engineering.

Chinese leaders have fired three government officials involved in a study of genetically modified rice, after complaints that the study’s subjects weren’t properly informed. The subjects were kids whose parents didn’t know what their kids were eating.

The study involves golden rice, a goldenrod-colored form of the grain developed more than a decade ago for the express purpose of addressing vitamin A deficiency in developing countries. It has been alternately hailed as a humanitarian breakthrough and denigrated as an empty promise to the poor–but one thing it has not been is actually approved for use. The study at the heart of this new controversy was a step on that path. It was partially funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and included some U.S.-based researchers.

In the study, some Chinese children were fed golden rice, which had been genetically modified to produce beta carotene, a precursor to vitamin A formation. Other children in the study ate meals containing spinach or beta carotene capsules. Scientists wanted to determine how well the beta carotene converted to vitamin A after the rice was eaten. Parents were told their kids were eating rice that contained beta carotene, but they weren’t told it got this way through genetic modification. They were also not told about skepticism and controversy surrounding GMO foods generally and golden rice specifically.

Greenpeace pointed out this study back in August, and Chinese officials launched an investigation, culminating in a recent report about the trial on state-run TV station CCTV. In the program, Chinese officials admit that they didn’t mention golden rice because it was “too sensitive,” and that they wanted to save time and move the study forward. Now families are outraged, reports Nature News, which covers the controversy in depth. And three Chinese officials have been fired.

Most of the food we eat in this country contains some ingredients from genetically modified plants, whether it’s weed-killer-resistant soybeans or pest-resistant corn, and most people don’t know it–so it’s in some ways this isn’t all that shocking. But genetically modified food is met with more skepticism in China than it is generally in the U.S.

What’s really at issue here is informed consent, a serious matter in any scientific study. People need to understand what they’re volunteering to do–or volunteering their kids to do–especially when it involves ingesting something.

[Nature News]

from Popular Science – New Technology, Science News, The Future Now