Engineering – Page 131 – Take off with Natarajan

Air Show in Belgium …

September 23, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

From September 13 to 14, Kleine Brogel airbase, in Belgium, hosted the Belgian Air Force Days (BAF). The air show’s main themes were “100 years of military air power” and the 40th anniversary of the F-16.

The air show featured not only the usual solo display of several aircraft types, including the Dassault Rafale and the Mig-29, but also a tactical event that provided insight into how the Belgian Air Force is integrated into NATO.

The BAF set up a fictional scenario based on the current Peace Support Operations in Afghanistan. In the scenario, 10 F-16 jets, supported by A-109 and Mi-24 helicopters, B-Hunter UAV and NATO E-3A AWACS, demonstrated some of their capabilities to the public.

Belgian Air Force Alessandro Fucito/The Aviationist

Baf_Days_28 Alessandro Fucito/The Aviationist

Among the most interesting aircraft that took part in the BAF Days were two Slovak Air Force Mig-29s, a single seater and a two-seat aircraft (the latter in static display only) belonging to the No. 1 Squadron. The Slovak Air Force is equipped with 12 Mig-29s based at Sliac.

Slovak MiG-29 Alessandro Fucito/The Aviationist

The Polish Air Force flew its Mig-29 Fulcrum, an aircraft they have used to provide Baltic Air Policing.

Polish MiG-29 Alessandro Fucito/The Aviationist

Another interesting aircraft was the F-16C Block 52+ of the Hellenic Air Force Solo Demonstration team “Zeus” from Souda Bay airbase, in Crete. The team, formed in 2009, flew its first official demo flight in November 2010 and has so far made only a few overseas appearances.

Greek F-16C Alessandro Fucito/The Aviationist

Other highlights of the show included the specially-decorated F-16 of the Solo Turk, the Turkish Air Force F-16 demo team, the Mirage 2000Ns of the RAMEX Delta display team of the French Air Force, the Dutch F-16 and AH-64 demo teams, the F-16 solo display of the Belgian Air Component, as well as the 7-ship Alpha Jet from 11sm formation of the Belgian Air Force.

Turkish F-16 Alessandro Fucito/The Aviationist

Baf_Days_16 Alessandro Fucito/The Aviationist

Baf_Days_22 Alessandro Fucito/The Aviationist

Several display teams took part in the show. Along with the world-famous Frecce Tricolori, Red Arrows and Patrouille de France, that have been flying for 50 years, there were also the PC-7 Team, the Team Breitling, and the Royal Jordanian Falcons.

French Display Team Alessandro Fucito/The Aviationist

Jordanian Display Team Alessandro Fucito/The Aviationist

The United Arab Emirates’ Air Force’s demo team, Al Fursan, or “The Knights” also flew. The team flies six MB-339 trainers in an attractive black and GOLD color scheme, symbolizing the desert with oil underneath, with the colors of the United Arab Emirates’ flag on the bottom of the planes. The planes trailed the smoke of the UAE’s national colors as well: white, red, green and black.

United Arab Emirates Display Team Alessandro Fucito/The Aviationist

SOURCE::: Business Insider .com

Natarajan

” இணைய சாம்ராஜ்யத்தின் தமிழ் புயல் …. SUNDAR PICHAI …

September 22, 2014September 22, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

‘இது கூடத் தெரியாதா உனக்கு? போய் கூகுள் பண்ணுப்பா’ என்று அறிவுறுத்துகிற புதிய வழக்கு உருவாகிவிட்டது. தேடுதல் என்ற வார்த்தைக்குச் சமமாக இன்று கூகுள் என்ற இணையத் தேடுபொறி மாறிவிட்டது. 2006 -ம் ஆண்டு ஆக்ஸ்போர்டு டிக் ஷனரியிலும் அந்தச் சொல் சேர்ந்து விட்டது.

கூகுள் சாம்ராஜ்யம்

எந்த ஒரு விசயத்தைப் பற்றி நாம் கேட்டாலும் அதனை கோடிக்கணக்கான இணையதளங்கள் செயல்படுகிற கணினிகளில் இருந்து தேடி எடுக்கிறது கூகுள். நல்லது,கெட்டது,சரி,தவறு எல்லாவற்றையும் நம்முன் படைக்கிறது. அதிலிருந்து அன்னப்பறவை போல உங்களுக்கு தேவையானதை எடுத்துக்கொள்ள வேண்டும்.

இன்றைய இணைய உலகில் கூகுள் ஒரு அசைக்க முடியாத நிறுவனமாக மாறிவிட்டது. உலகம் முழுவதும் பத்து லட்சத்துக்கும் அதிகமான ஆதார தகவல் மையங்களை அது வைத்துள்ளது. அமெரிக்காவை மையமாகக் கொண்டு உலகின் பல நாடுகளில் கூகுள் செயல்படுகிறது. 52 ஆயிரம் பேருக்கும் மேலாக தற்போது இந்த கம்பெனியில் பணியாற்றுகின்றனர்.

அத்தகையப் பெரும் இணைய சாம்ராஜ்யத்தின் முதுநிலை துணைத்தலைவராகத் தமிழகத்தை சேர்ந்த சுந்தர் பிச்சை செயல்பட்டு வருகிறார். ‘ஆண்ட்ராய்ட் ஒன்’ என்பதைப் புதிதாக கூகுள் அறிவித்த போது அவர் பிரபலமடைந்தார்.

ஆலமரமாய்…

சுந்தர் பிச்சை 2004-ம் ஆண்டு கூகுளில் இணைந்துள்ளார். 2011- ல் கூகுள் குரோம் ப்ரவுசர் ,

ஜிமெயில், ஆப்ஸ் உள்ளிட்ட பிரிவுகளுக்கான உலகளாவிய பொறுப்பாளராக அவர் நியமிக்கப்பட்டார்.

2013 முதல் ஆண்ட்ராய்ட் மென்பொருளுக்கான பொறுப்பாளராகவும் அவர் நியமிக்கப் பட்டுள்ளார்.

1998- ல் லாரி பேஜ் மற்றும் சேர்ஜி பிரின் எனும் இரண்டு நண்பர்களால் இந்த கூகுள் நிறுவனம் தொடங்கப்பட்டது. உலகிலுள்ள தகவல்களை ஒருங்கிணைப்பதே கூகுளின் நோக்கமாகும்.

ஒரு நாளில் 100 கோடிக்கும் மேலான தகவல்கள் கூகுளில் தேடப்படுகின்றன. அதி விரைவாக கூகுள் வளர்ச்சியடைந்துள்ளது.பல புதிய மென்பொருள் சேவைகளும் அதனால் வெளியிடப்பட்டுள்ளன.

ஜிமெயில் எனப்படும் கூகுள் மெயில், கூகுள் டாக்குமெண்டுகள், கூகுள் பிளஸ், கூகுள் டாக், கூகுள் மேப்ஸ், கூகுள் நியூஸ், பிளாக்கர், யூ ட்யூப் போன்ற பல்வேறு கிளைகளை பரப்பி பிரம்மாண்டமான ஆலமரமாய் அது வளர்ந்துள்ளது.ஆண்டுதோறும் லட்சக்கணக்கான கோடிகள் ரூபாய் மதிப்பில் அதன் வியாபாரம் விரிந்துள்ளது.

விரியும் ஆதிக்கம்

சமீபத்தில் குரோம் ப்ரவுசர் என்னும் இணைய உலவியையும் கூகுள் வெளியிட்டது. அது தற்போது இணைய ப்ரவுசர்களின் மார்க்கெட்டில் 32 சதவீதத்தை கைப்பற்றி உள்ளது.

ஆண்ட்ராய்டு என்னும் செல்போனை இயக்கும் மென்பொருள்தளத்தையும் அது வெளியிட்டது. அதனால் செல்போன்களின் துறையில் பெரும்தாக்கம் ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது.

உங்கள் கைகளில் விளையாடும் டச் ஸ்கிரீன் செல்போன்களில் ஏற்பட்டுள்ள புதுமைகளுக்கு எல்லாம் ஆண்ட்ராய்ட் இயங்குதளம் எனும் மென்பொருளும் ஒரு காரணம். தற்போது செல்போன் உள்ளிட்ட 120 கோடி கருவிகளில் ஆண்ட்ராய்ட் மென்பொருள் பயன்படுகிறது.

சென்னையின் புதல்வர்

சுந்தர் பிச்சை சென்னையில் பிறந்தவர். மேல்படிப்புக்காக மேற்குவங்கத்தை சேர்ந்த கரக்பூரில் உள்ள ஐஐடியில் சேர்ந்து படித்தாவர். அமெரிக்காவின் ஸ்டான்ஃபோர்டு பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில்

எம்.எஸ் பட்டமும், பென்சில்வேனியாவில் இருக்கும் வார்டன் கல்லூரியில் எம்.பி.ஏ.

பட்டமும் பெற்றவர். கூகுள் நிறுவனத்தில் சேருவதற்கு முன்பு மெக்கென்சி நிறுவனத்தின் சாஃப்ட்வேர் நிறுவனங்களுக்கு கன்சல்டன்டாக இருந்திருக்கிறார்.

சுந்தர் பிச்சையைப் பற்றி கூகுள் நிறுவனத்தின் தலைவரான லாரி பேஜ் “அவர் ஆழமான தொழில்நுட்ப அனுபவம், உற்பத்தி மீதான சிறப்பான கண்காணிப்பு, தொழில் முனைப்புத் திறமை ஆகியவற்றின் அரிய ஒருங்கிணைப்பாக இருக்கிறார்” எனப் பாராட்டுகிறார்.

சுந்தர் பிச்சையின் அப்பா சென்னையில் உள்ள பிரிட்டிஷ் பன்னாட்டு கம்பெனியான ஜிஇசியில் எலக்ட்ரிகல் இன்ஜினீயராக இருந்துள்ளார். சுந்தர் பிச்சைக்கு 11வயதில் ஒரு மகள் இருக்கிறார்.

அடுத்த பாய்ச்சல்

கூகுள் நிறுவனம் ஆண்ட்ராய்ட் மென்பொருள் மூலம் தனது அடுத்த தயாரிப்புகளைத் திட்டமிட்டு வருகிறது. அவற்றில் தானே வழி அறிந்து செல்லும் கார், ஆண்ட்ராய்ட் டிவி மிக முக்கியமானவை கூகுள் திட்டமிடுகிற கார் தெருக்களில் ஒரு போது, இனி நீங்கள் உங்கள் காரில் எந்த இடத்துக்கு போக வேண்டும் எனக் குறிப்பிட்டு விட்டால் போதும்.

செயற்கைக்கோள்கள் மூலமாக உருவான வரைபடங்கள் மூலம் இயங்கும் கூகுள் மேப்ஸ் துணையோடு, உங்கள் கார் உலகின் எந்த மூலைக்கும் தரைவழியாகத் தானே வழிகளை அறிந்து செல்லும்.

ஆண்ட்ராய்ட் இயங்குதளத்தை அடிப்படையாகக் கொண்ட டிவிகளை உருவாக்கும் முயற்சியில் தற்போது கூகுள் ஈடுபட்டுள்ளது. அப்படிப்பட்ட டிவிகள் வந்தால் அவை தற்போதைய தொழில்நுட்பங்களில் இயங்கும் டிவிகளை காலாவதி ஆக்கும். அவை புதிய தலைமுறை டிவிகளாக இருக்கும். உங்கள் குரல்களை அடையாளம் கண்டு அதற்கேற்ப செயல்படக்கூடியவையாக இந்த டிவிக்கள் இருக்கும்.

கூகுள் கண்ணாடி எனும் கருவியை மாட்டிக்கொண்டாலே போதும் நம்மால் இணையத்தைப் பார்க்க முடியும் என அண்மையில் கூகுள் அறிவித்தது நினைவிருக்கலாம். அத்தகைய கருவிகள் இன்னமும் முழுமையாக மார்க்கெட்டுக்கு வரவில்லை. அவை எல்லாம் மனித வாழ்வில் பெரிய தாக்கத்தை ஏற்படுத்த உள்ளன.

அத்தகைய திட்டங்களில் முக்கிய பங்காற்றுபவராக சுந்தர் பிச்சை உருவாகி உள்ளார். ஆண்ட்ராய்ட் ஜீனியஸ் என அவர் அழைக்கப்படுகிறார்.

Keywords: கூகுள், இணையம், சுந்தர் பிச்சை, ஆண்ட்ராய்ட், அப்ளிகேஷன், சாதனையாளர், செல்போன்கள்,

What has happened to SONY ?…

September 22, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Sony’s gaming division is one of the few brightspots for the once-dominant company. Source: AP

“IT’S a Sony.”

The tagline said it all. Sony was once synonymous with innovation, aspiration and reliability. It was the brand you wanted to buy in consumer technology, from TVs to video cameras to Walkmans. If you were shopping in the electronics section, you wanted Sony.

But times have moved on, and Sony has just flagged a $2.38 billion ($US2.14 billion) loss for the year, another disappointing year in a string of disappointing years. Significantly, Sony said it won’t be paying a dividend to investors for the first time in the five decades it’s been listed on the Tokyo exchange.

So what’s gone wrong for the once-dominant Japanese global powerhouse that pushed the technological boundaries in TVs, personal music and gaming?

One of the company’s major missteps was being slow to the digital game. According to an analysis by Hiroko Tabuchi in The New York Times, Sony had the foundations and ability to create the iPod long before Apple introduced its game-changing device in 2001. But it didn’t.

And when it did finally create something similar, the company made MUSIC PLAYERS that weren’t compatible with the increasingly popular MP3 format.

The Sony Walkman was a cultural icon. Source: News Limited

The BBC once wrote that while Sony excelled in the past, those former glories were driven by mechanical devices which didn’t contain any software, unlike the technologies of today.

Sony was also slow to flat screen TVs despite having pioneered so many innovations in the television space in the past. Sony’s TV division has been an albatross around its neck, which has troubled the company with its razor-thin margins year after year. Analysts have wondered time and again if Sony will sell-off the division, especially after the company spun-off the TV business into a separate unit.

It’s also recently sold off its PC division, Vaio, to a fellow Japanese manufacturer.

A strong Japanese yen has also hampered the company’s efforts as it’s made exports difficult for Sony. Added to that is cut-price competition from elsewhere in Asia with mid-range brands who can manufacture products for much cheaper. Sony has always charged a premium for its products but as brand become less shiny over time, it’s had a harder time convincing consumers that top dollar was worth the expense.

Sony’s TV division has been operating on razor-thin margins. Source: AFP

Sony’s mobile division has struggled since phones have become more sophisticated. In the pre-smartphone days, it couldn’t compete with the then-might of Motorola and Nokia and then Apple blew everyone out of the water with its smartphone until Samsung got its act together.

Sony blamed the most losses on a writedown of its mobile division and conceded that it won’t be a dominant player in the smartphone space. The company’s chief executive said it will cut staff by 15 per cent, or about 1000 jobs, so it could focus on top-end models such its flagship Xperia model. It’s an awkward concession from chief executive Kazuo Hirai who had earlier pointed to the mobile arm as the key thrust to the company’s turnaround strategy.

Hirai — who has pointed to Sony’s PlayStation games console and a strong music and movies division as bright spots — on Wednesday acknowledged the unexpected weakness in smartphone sales.

Sony will focus on its high-end mobile models such as the Xperia. Source: Getty Images

“Other firms are also offering new products with innovative technology — this business experiences dramatic changes in products and services,” he told reporters in Tokyo.

“The environment is changing and becoming more severe.” Hirai, who took over in 2012, said Sony would continue to focus on the more profitable areas of its vast business, which ranges from televisions and portable music to movies and insurance.

Hirokazu Kabeya, senior strategist at Daiwa Securities in Tokyo, said Sony cannot afford to get into a price war with lower-cost rivals, including Chinese smartphone makers, or beat Samsung and Apple in global MARKET share.

“(Sony) would be wise to shift its resources to where it is strong — such as movies and music,” he said.

In the wake of Thursday’s share price drop, investors may see Hirai’s ongoing efforts to SLIM DOWN the company as a positive despite the loss forecast, Kabeya said.

“But it’s unlikely we’ll see a rapid turnaround and Sony will likely struggle for a while,” he added.

Sony’s STOCK dropped as much as 12 per cent after a frenzied session in response to the shock announcement late Wednesday.

SOURCE:::: news.com.au

Natarajan

” Mind Blowing Crazy Circle Illusion …”

September 20, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

“Mind blowing.”

That’s how some are describing a “crazy circle illusion” posted online Monday which has quickly amassed more than 1 million views on YouTube.

The video asks viewers to first watch as the balls appear to rotate in a circle and then “focus on one ball at a time and notice that it follows a straight line.”

“This is just another example of looking deeper into something so simple and discovering a hidden pattern,” the producers of the video said.

Individuals commenting on the YouTube page left rave reviews, with some calling the illusion “fascinating” and “amazing.”

SOURCE::::YOU TUBE

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Image of the Day…First Ever Photo Of Earth and Moon in a Single Frame !!!

September 18, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Here is the first-ever photo of the Earth and moon in a single frame. Voyager 1 took the photo on September 18, 1977, when it was 7.25 million miles (11.66 million kilometers) from Earth. Image Number: P-19891 via NASA/JPL

September 18, 1977. Previous images had shown a part of the Earth, and a part of the moon, together. But – until this image by Voyager 1, taken on today’s date 37 years ago – we had never seen the Earth and moon as whole worlds in space, in the same frame and in color. Can you imagine how the image affected people, at the time? It was a stunning revelation.

Voyager 1 left Earth on September 5, 1977. It lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida aboard a Titan-Centaur rocket.

It was 11.66 million kilometers (7.25 million miles) from Earth – directly above Mount Everest, on the night side of the planet – when it captured this image.

Today, Voyager 1 still communicates with NASA’s Deep Space Network. It receives routine commands and returns data. Both Voyager 1 and 2 are currently in the heliosheath – the outermost layer of the heliosphere, or sphere of our sun’s influence. In that part of space, the solar wind is slowed by the pressure of interstellar gas, that is, the gas between the stars.

Voyager 1 is currently the farthest earthly spacecraft from Earth.

Source::::Earth sky news

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Dancing Traffic Signal in Lisbon !!!

September 18, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Source: smart)

Nobody likes to wait at traffic lights. Stopping at lights can be dangerous for impatient pedestrians willing to risk their lives just to cross the street a few seconds earlier.

The folks at Smart created The Dancing Traffic Light, a concept providing a fun and safe way to keep people from venturing too early into the street. They started by placing a dance room on a square in Lisbon, Portugal and invited random pedestrians to go into the box and dance. Their movements were then displayed on a few traffic lights in real time. This resulted in 81% more people stopping and waiting at those red lights.

What an awesome idea! Let’s hope no one ever does the moonwalk and on accident makes people at the light think that is the animation to walk out into traffic.

Source::::You Tube and Viral nova trending

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One of the Overlooked World Treasures… Hampi in India…

September 16, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Hampi, India is spectacular. Picture: Hajo Schatz Source: Flickr

WHAT a veteran traveller you are.

You’ve already hiked up to Machu Picchu and climbed up and down the thousands of stairs of the Great Wall of China. We bet you’ve also stood awestruck before the Hagia Sofia and the Taj Majal.

You’re a regular Tony Wheeler, who co-founded the Lonely Planet travel company more than 40 years ago. Like you, he’s visited most of the world’s major wonders of the world and almost everything else worth seeing.

Wheeler and fellow world explorer Vince Michael, head of the Global Heritage FUND, are always looking for hidden places to discover. By all means, they say, visit Angkor Wat and the Hagia Sophia. Go there and check them off your bucket list.

We all know about the Angkor Wat. There must be something else. Source: ThinkStock

But don’t you want to explore places everyone hasn’t already seen? That’s why CNNasked Michael and Wheeler, a Global Heritage FUND board member, to pick some hidden gems to explore. These are spots where we hope you won’t always share your trip with thousands of other travellers.

“Who hasn’t seen pictures and read about Angkor Wat in Cambodia?” Wheeler said. “But Banteay Chhmar? It’s an unknown, and discovering an unknown is always a delight.

“Ditto for the Taj Mahal in India. Nobody’s disappointed when they see the Taj for the first time, but they’ve seen pictures of it. It’s popped up in TV programs and movies so often, that actually seeing it is no surprise. Hampi, however, is going to be totally unexpected.”

Let the crowds swarm the world’s best-known marvels. The lesser-known Global Heritage FUND sites below can be found in the same countries — without the crowds. And two spots are still on Wheeler’s bucket list.

That’s right. Even the co-founder of Lonely Planet hasn’t yet been to these picks in India and Peru. Maybe you can beat him there.

Some of the more undiscovered spots require long and bumpy bus rides through the mountains, while others are located near LUXURY HOTELS. No matter which you choose, they will knock your (hiking) boots off.

Hampi, India. Picture: Adam Jones Source: Flickr

Hampi, India

One of the most well-known and admired structures and examples of Indo-Islamic architecture in the world, the Taj Mahal is a marble mausoleum built in the 17th century by the Mughal emperor in memory of a beloved wife.

A site of equal interest lies in the south of India at Hampi, the last capital of the last Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar. A six-hour drive from Goa or Bangalore, Hampi was conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy in 1565 and plundered before it was abandoned.

Old temple between stones in Hampi. Source: ThinkStock

Still standing are several temples, including the Krishna temple complex, the Chandramauleshwar Temple and the temples of Ramachandra and Hazara Rama. There are also hundreds of other remains on the site, including stables, water structures, shrines and royal complexes.

“Hampi is a stunning complex of magnificent temples and other structures set along a dramatic riverine site,” says Michael, calling it “a dramatic testament to one of the earth’s oldest civilisations.”

Virupaksha temple in Hampi. Source: ThinkStock

Source::: news.com.au

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Image of the Day…Rosetta spacecraft selfie with comet..!!!

September 12, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

An otherworldly take take on an earthly trend, as Rosetta poses with its comet, 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

Here is a Rosetta ‘selfie’ with comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko in background. It was taken by the CIVA camera – short for Comet Infrared and Visible Analyser – onboard the Philae Lander. This is the same camera that will be acquiring images from the surface of the comet itself, when the Philae lander sets down on the comet in November.

Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko was 50 kilometers / 31 miles away at the time of this image.

Two frames were taken and merged due to the high contrast.

Rosetta isn’t the first otherworldly object to get in on the earthly trend of selfies. NASA’s Mars Curiosity rover caught one, too, earlier this year.

Source:::Earth sky news

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Stunning Drawings That Come Alive Before Your Eyes…

September 12, 2014September 12, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Good art can conjure up a various range of emotions but great art does something more. Ramon Bruin, who hails from the Netherlands, is a remarkably talented artist who creates optical illusions on paper. He’s even got a name for it, ‘Optical Illusionism.’ It is a combination of drawing, photography, and the right camera angle that manages to give it the effect that he desires.

His mischiveous masterpieces cover a wide variety of subject matters but each one of them is a unique and beautiful creation. From sharks that come at you from the ocean to the iconic depiction of Neo dodging a bullet from ‘The Matrix‘, take a look at some of his art that will leave you speechless. If you’re curious to see more of his work, head over to his website.

Recommended Reading…. 50 More Breathtaking 3D Street Art (Paintings)

Anastassia Irina. in http://www.hongkiat.com/blog/stunning-3d-drawings-ramon-bruin/

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Autonomous People Movers Heathrow Airport Terminal ….

September 11, 2014NatarajanLeave a comment

Matthew Phenix in BBC .com

The autonomous Ultra pods of London's Heathrow airport

These autonomous people-movers run along a closed course between Heathrow’s Terminal 5 and the Business Car Park, 2.4 miles away. (Matthew Phenix)

Tucked in a corner of Terminal 5 at London’s Heathrow airport, the future of urban mobility is quietly unfolding.

Since 2011, on a closed course between the terminal and the Business Car Park, 2.4 miles away, a fleet of 21 diminutive passenger pods have ferried as many as 1,000 passengers each day, quietly logging well more than 1m autonomous miles in the process. It’s a small-scale experiment, commissioned by Heathrow Airport Holdings Limited and built by UK-based Ultra Global PRT (for Personal Rapid Transit), but its success – measured by cost savings, environmental impact and user-friendliness – may help define locomotion in the city of tomorrow.

This is no miniature railway; Ultra pods are real cars, with rubber tires and untethered, battery-driven powertrains. Although they OFFER space for as many as six people and their luggage, they are compact, measuring 12ft long, 5ft wide and 6ft tall; and lightweight, tipping the scales at just 1,870lbs, including a 141lb battery pack. At its 25mph top speed, the pod draws only 2kW of electricity and hums along at 35dB (quieter than a refrigerator). Pods self-monitor battery level, occasionally excusing themselves at station stops for “opportunity charging”.

Pods wait in the station at Heathrow’s Terminal 5. (Matthew Phenix)

More than a novelty, the Heathrow pod network boasts some impressive environmental claims. The system already meets Kyoto Protocol 2050 projections, delivering a 50% reduction in per-passenger carbon emissions compared with diesel-powered buses and 70% compared with cars. By Heathrow’s estimate, the pods replace some 70,000 bus journeys each year. And unlike a shuttle bus, the average wait time for a pod is less than 10 seconds (80% of passengers have no wait at all).

Operation is splendidly simple. In the station, touch-screens allow riders to select their destination (Heathrow’s system OFFERS only two outbound options). The doors open and a mellifluous recorded voice welcomes the rider and begins narrating the experience. After the passenger presses the “Close doors” and “Start” buttons, the pod autonomously backs out of its parking spot and hums away from the station.

Pods accommodate as many as six passengers and their luggage; controls couldn’t be simpler. (Matthew Phenix)

It’s a five-minute ride from end to end, and the experience is altogether delightful. Crossing over seven roads and two rivers, a journey by Heathrow pod is more like a theme-park ride than a car-park transfer.

Of course, building a closed-course autonomous vehicle is decidedly easier than building one for the open road, à la the Google self-driving car, which must negotiate such obstacles as complex roadway interchanges, pedestrians and non-autonomous vehicles. But simplicity has its advantages. The pods themselves, which use mostly off-the-shelf automotive hardware, have proven highly reliable, and the system’s lightweight infrastructure – slender, easily installed trackways and flyovers – is, says Ultra, between six and 10 times more resource-efficient than typical road or rail systems.

Pods self-monitor battery status, occasionally excusing themselves at station stops for “opportunity charging”. (Matthew Phenix)

And Ultra has big plans for its little pods. Working with investors in India, the company intends to build a 4.8-mile elevated circuit in the city of Amritsar, about 285 miles north of New Delhi. This network will include seven stations and more than 200 pods capable of transporting some 50,000 passengers a day. And in November 2013, Ultra Global PRT and Taiwan-based China Engineering Consultants completed a feasibility study for the implementation of a sprawling PRT system New Taipei City, population 6.9m.

While it is not difficult to imagine specific pod applications – within city centres, for example, or between cities and airports – an all-pod future is a decidedly loftier proposition. A pod network like Heathrow’s works because riders can grab any pod, at any time, with no waiting. And while the service is personal, it isn’t private. The question is, will future drivers be willing relinquish the privilege of owning the cars of their choice – and the freedom of driving those cars themselves – for the convenience of a hands-off motoring future?

Source::::bbc.com

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