By Nick Heath, 11 September 2008 14:20
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Most passengers would react in horror if their bus veered across the road while the driver sat back, hands off the steering wheel.
But scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, have steered a high tech bus, seen here, using nothing but magnets.
The 60-foot research bus was demonstrated along a one-mile stretch of East 14th Street in San Leandro, specially embedded with a series of magnets for the test.
Sensors and processors on board the bus detected the magnets in the pavement and controlled the steering based upon the information they received.
The automated steering drove with a level of accuracy that puts human drivers to shame, pulling into stops within one centimetre of the kerb.
Researchers say such precision docking would help shave precious seconds off of the time to load and unload passengers at each stop, adding up to shorter journeys.
The ability to more precisely control the movement of the bus also reduces the width of the lane required for safe travel from 12 feet to 10 feet, researchers say.
Photo credit: UC Berkeley
Comments
There are 6 comments. Join the discussion
1. anonymous
Do the tests of pulling into drop off/pick-up zones work as well if there is a car parked too close to the zone ? Happens all the time..
2. What is the point
It will be useful to take all the unemployed bus drivers down to the job centre. Why is there this drive (pardon) in the West to put everyone out of a job?
Probably might be more productive for the team to spend time on something that could really benefit humanity
3. Karen Challinor
when everyone who actually works has had their job replaced by some piece of automation
who will actually be able to afford to use these, now automated, services
4. anonymous
Wonderful achievent. It will reduce accident as well as fatigue of driver's body.
Worry about drivers job. There should be some mechanism which require humqn interference. Incase the automation fail automatic it should get transfer to manual operator position.
5. John Crasher
Unless the magnets can also apply the brakes, I think the driver's job is still safe - provided he hasn't fallen asleep with little to do...
The concept is not new - we used to call them trams - but I suppose laying magnets might be a bit cheaper than rails - except for the maintenance. Magnets are rather prone to losing their magnetism, especially being pounded by traffic. But of course they would have thought of all that, wouldn't they.....?
6. Karen Challinor
so the consensus seems to be that it does need a driver if only to apply the brakes in an emergency
so whats the point of the automation ?
rather than have someone desperately trying not to fall asleep because all they are doing is watching a brake pedal, you may as well just keep the bus driver who can not only apply the brakes in an emergency but can steer the bus out of trouble and, on those rare occasions it's needed, accelerate the bus out of trouble