Transportation Technology

Transportation Technology
Conventional transportation technologies usually involve the use of fossil fuels for vehicle propulsion. Rising fuel prices are causing mainstream awareness and interest in alternative transportation technology. Many automobile companies are working hard to develop more sustainable vehicles in order to combat fuel costs and the harmful environmental effects of petroleum as a fuel source. This section has articles about the development of sustainable transportation alternatives.
16Jul
UAVs to be Powered by Dye-sensitized Solar Cells
The progress is being steadily made in the field of alternative energy. Though we have not hit the bull’s eye yet but still the search is on. Scientists and researchers all over the world are spending sleepless nights on their projects to find an all-pervasive alternative to fossil fuels. How can we utilize the alternative energy technology for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) When we think about the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) we think of saving human resource, undoubtedly the most precious resource of any nation. But UAVs have some drawbacks too. They can’t fly to the far and distant places because after traveling certain distance an aircraft needs refueling. And here we face the disadvantage of UAVs. They can’t refuel. But if they utilize solar energy they can travel more and work more effectively in enemy’s territory. The Air Force is thinking of using Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in future. Then they can fly for a longer duration of time without refueling. 3 Comments
01Jul
GreenJet: An Automated Sailing Yacht
We all are waiting for a miracle to happen that can effortlessly replace the fossil fuel and we don’t even feel the change over and go on with our lives as usual. These kinds of transitions have happened as is the case with iron and wood. Many things made of iron and wood got quietly replaced by plastic and the transition was quiet smooth. When the Iron Age got converted to plastic age, we never realized. But the same thing doesn’t seem to be happening with fossil fuel. So the current strategy followed by environment conscious people is, replace fossil fuels in bits and pieces or rather take baby steps till something big and wonderful happens. We are hearing about ecological homes, electric cars, solar energy powered bus stops etc. Now we are hearing about the green jet yacht meeting the eco-friendly green standard. The Green Jet yacht is designed by Erik Sifrer. This Green Jet yacht is 187 foot long and is powered by both wind and hydrogen. The fat cats can flout their eco friendly possession without the guilt of the haves.
30Jun
Biofuel as a Jet Fuel Alternative?
The seeds of a humble weed could lower a jet fuel's cradle-to-grave carbon emissions by 84 percent. Camelina sativa is an oilseed crop and it might be used as fuel in aircrafts in the near future. A study conducted at Michigan Technological University claimed that Camelina has shown to be one of the more promising alternatives to petroleum jet fuel. They studied the whole process i.e. from planting to airplane’s tailpipe. David Shonnard, Robbins Chair Professor of Chemical Engineering, studied the carbon dioxide emissions of jet fuel made from Camelina oil. He elaborates, "Camelina jet fuel exhibits one of the largest greenhouse gas emission reductions of any agricultural feedstock-derived biofuel I've ever seen. This is the result of the unique attributes of the crop – its low fertilizer requirements, high oil yield, and the availability of its co-products, such as meal and biomass, for other uses."
25Jun
World Speed Record Set by 100% Electric Airplane
Aircrafts are notorious for adding carbon content into the atmosphere because more and more people are choosing this mode of travel. We are trying to reduce carbon emissions on the ground. But we are not giving enough thought to reducing carbon content by aircrafts. Environmentalists are concerned that the figures are bound to reach staggering heights in the next couple of decades. Though it is a fact that manufacturing clean and green aircrafts is not an easy feat to achieve and people want faster aircrafts for commuting.
24Jun
New Hydrogen Powered Urban Car by Riversimple
A new hydrogen car was unveiled in London, UK by Riversimple. This Riversimple Urban Car (RUC) is powered by fuel cells. These fuels cells combine hydrogen with oxygen from the air to release energy. What comes out from the exhaust pipe is not toxic fumes but water. Even using hydrogen fuel from source to car’s fuel tank, its carbon emissions for urban driving are only 30 grams/km. The weight of this hydrogen car is 772 pounds. You can travel 186 miles on just 2.2 pounds of liquid hydrogen. The Riversimple Urban Car is powered by a cheap, 6-kilowatt fuel. The car's top speed is 50 miles per hour (80.4672 kilometres per hour). It can be accelerated from 0 to 30 mph (48 km/h) in 5.5 seconds.
23Jun
More Efficient Hybrid Vehicles
If we can control the excess carbon emissions from fossil fuels we can control the global warming to a great extent. When we start our cars and apply brakes using combustion engines we use generous amount of fossil fuel and the carbon emission too is in the direct proportion of the amount of gas used. Now researchers are trying to concentrate on two points: starting a combustion engine and applying breaks. If we start using hybrid cars that use electricity for breaks and then run on fossil fuel for the rest of your journey then we will be able to reduce the emitted carbon quantity. Now companies are paying heed to the green consumers and launching hybrid cars in the market. They produce less pollution. 6 Comments
21Jun
Walnut Creek Installs 3 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Coulomb Technologies has taken the initiative to install their ChargePoint™ Networked Charging Stations for electric vehicles in Walnut Creek, CA. Walnut Creek has got the distinction of becoming the third Bay Area city to deploy charging station. Coulomb’s charging stations were officially inaugurated on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 at the Locust Street Garage. The charging stations were installed in three public parking garages in the heart of downtown Walnut Creek. 07Jun
Solar Powered Wi-Fi Bus Stops
What a delightful combination for environmentalists! While you are waiting for your bus to arrive you can happily stay in touch with the cyber world. San Francisco bus stops produce solar electricity and offer Wi-Fi connectivity too. By 2013, San Francisco is planning to have 1100 such solar-powered bus shelters put in throughout the city. This project can act as a catalyst for other states and even countries to follow. They have taken care of the bus stops at the grass root level too. They have used recycled materials to develop these bus stops. The bus stops’ roofs will have solar panels. The underutilized energy of these bus shelters will be directed back to the grids.
05Jun
Solar Powered Surveillance Aircraft
Bye Aerospace Inc. (Denver, Colorado), is collaborating with thin film PV manufacturer Ascent Solar. This is not one of those tie ups taking place everyday. The echo of this tie up will be heard for a long time in the alternative energy scenario. Ascent Solar is providing necessary solar energy technology to Bye Aerospace to develop a hybrid unmanned aerial vehicle (H-UAV). The aerial vehicle is named as Silent Sentinel. This aircraft will be stored using electric power, thin film solar photovoltaics (PV) and some additional technologies to enhance its low emissions, quiet operations and endurance. Bye Aerospace will also utilize a Williams International FJ33 turbofan engine for primary propulsion. Silent Sentinel would be a robust, long-range UAV that would integrate various clean-energy features.
01Jun
Cutting Aviation Emissions with ‘Bottletop Technology’
Most of the time we ignore simple solutions dismissing them as too simplistic. But often we can achieve immeasurable amount of success with simple and practical solutions. We might think about the shape of wings and speed of airplanes but we don’t give much thought to an airplane’s wings in terms of reducing fuel and carbon emissions by making changes to those wings. But someone was looking at airplane’s wings and thinking of clean and green energy. If we make tiny holes in plane's wing they can reduce airline fuel intake by up to 40 per cent. A team of British scientists are relying upon the same principle that applies when you blow across the top of a bottle to make a sound.
21May
Air-fueled Battery for Electric Cars
A normal fossil fuel car (using an internal combustion engine) only needs the battery to start the engine as well as run the air conditioning system and the car stereo. But the scene is quite different with electric cars. Batteries run everything. So when one tries to buy an electric car his/her prime concern is battery. Electric car owners are still grappling with the quality and reliability of the electric car battery. The main concern is how long the battery will last before it needs recharging. Researchers are continuously trying to devise new ways for the battery to last longer and recharge easily. Imagine your phones, mp3 players, computers and laptops running for days without recharging, or for that matter your car running far longer on one charge than it presently can with a tank or two of gas. Using air power, it might be possible in as early as 5 years.
15May
Minneapolis International Airport Installs Wind Generators
These days many companies are exhibiting awareness about clean and green energy and trying to use that technology for reducing costs too. Recently Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport has set up ten wind-powered electricity generators. They are using the energy to power an electric utility vehicle. We are acquainted with the fact that airports are windy places. So a knowledgeable management can utilize this air power and boost its environmental credentials too. They have installed ten 1 kW Aerovironment wind turbines on top of the airport fire station to harness the power of prevailing northwest winds. The turbines are expected to generate 10 kilowatts of electricity an hour. They are powering their fully-electric Cushman Motors e-Ride exv2 utility vehicle with the energy generated by these turbines. Their utility vehicle has a range of 45-55 miles and costs around $200 a year to run.
13May
Zero Emissions Motorcycle
When we think about green energy vehicles we often think about modest designs and low speeds. But 6 final-year engineering students of Kingston University have designed a bike that dispels all myths about green vehicles. This bike has the ability to reach speeds of 102mph, race around a 38 mile mountainous course and is powered by batteries that can be charged from a standard household socket! They will take this bike to the world’s first zero-emissions Grand Prix this summer. The Kingston team will be competing with 24 eco-bikes from America, India, Italy, Germany and Austria at the 2009 Isle of Man TTXGP. Mr. Paul Brandon who is the Course Director for motorsport and motorcycle engineering shared his views, "Being green doesn’t have to mean slow. There are too many skeptics when it comes to electric vehicles but we all need to reduce our CO2 output and this initiative is taking a huge leap in that direction. The ideas we and others put to the test on the racing circuit are the ones most likely to become commonplace on the road." 12 Comments
04May
First Public Charging Station for Electric Cars
During a low-key ceremony just over a week ago, the first public high-voltage charging station for electric vehicles was inaugurated at the Gateway Center in East Woodland California. Representatives from Tesla Motors were on hand to help demonstrate with six Tesla Roadsters. The power station is capable of charging an electric car in about one hour and is meant to set an example for future stations being planned in other states. 14 Comments
20Apr
Breakthrough to Advance Hydrogen Car Production
One of the main hurdles in the field of hydrogen car research is the development of a good fueling system. Professor Issam Mudawar along with his research team has developed a hydrogen storage system that would allow a car tank to be filled in five minutes and you can drive on that fuel for 300 miles. 6 Comments
16Apr
Fuel Cell Powered Military Surveillance Aircraft
It is great news that defense forces are promoting the use of alternative fuels in their own unique way. American army is using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in Afghanistan. The greatest advantage of UAVs is that they are nearly untraceable from the ground. They are used heavily by defense forces in overseas missions when uniformed men are already at a disadvantage by just being at a totally foreign and hostile territory. Here using UAVs, terrain can be scanned and intelligence can be gathered. Now it is possible that these UAVs might be flying on alternative fuels. UAVs are used to minimize loss of life of soldiers and pilots in dangerous zones. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is developing an improved version of these aircrafts that can travel to distant places more efficiently and more quietly and run on the newer fuel cell technology. 14 Comments
06Apr
Flying Cars by 2011?
If you secretly nurtured a dream of owning a flying car, the good news is your dream can be a reality by 2011. This month MIT students, from Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics, have successfully flight tested the prototype of a winged car for the first time. This car took off from a runway in Plattsburgh, New York. It flew for 37 seconds. The engine used in this whole exercise was 100 hp Rotax engine that gets 30 mpg on the highway using regular unleaded gasoline. 17 Comments
29Mar
Nanotech Batteries - A New Energy Future
People want to use clean and green energy and live easy on earth’s resources. Many are changing to hybrid cars and using solar panels side by side with conventional sources of energy. But they hold a grudge. How to store large amount of energy in batteries? Hybrid cars fit batteries for power storage. But this power is not enough to last long distances and takes many undesirable hours to recharge. The storage battery is not very helpful during acceleration. Solar and wind also don’t provide us with power at constant rate. They give us energy intermittently. Their storage devices also take lots of space and money as well and yet they don’t seem promising for surge demand. Gary Rubloff, who is the director of the University of Maryland's NanoCenter is also voicing a common consumer’s concern, "Renewable energy sources like solar and wind provide time-varying, somewhat unpredictable energy supply, which must be captured and stored as electrical energy until demanded. Conventional devices to store and deliver electrical energy -- batteries and capacitors -- cannot achieve the needed combination of high energy density, high power, and fast recharge that are essential for our energy future." 2 Comments
16Mar
Eco-Friendly Fuels at I-5 Rest Stops
Common man and policy makers both are increasingly being made aware of the importance of clean and green fuels in near future. The governors of 3 states have come forward with a plan to transform Interstate 5 from a freeway dotted by gasoline burners to a sanctuary for eco-friendly cars and trucks. The people chalking out this plan are Marty Brown, Gregoire's legislative liaison, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski. 1 Comment
10Mar
SMART Technology for Efficient Helicopters
We use helicopters for medical emergencies, search operations, traffic reporting or protecting celebrity privacy from paparazzi. They are loud, give us bumps (not birthday bumps) and are considered not very efficient and comfortable for daily travel. But NASA wants to give them a makeover. They are researching into shape of rotor blades and material used for constructing those blades. This may ease the load on domestic airports and aircrafts. They may carry (in near twenty years) at least hundred passengers to their destination without loud noise and bumps. We may prefer helicopters for shorter destinations

Higher Education

Higher education

Main article: Higher education

The University of Cambridge is an institute of higher learning.

Higher education, also called tertiary, third stage, or post secondary education, is the non-compulsory educational level that follows the completion of a school providing a secondary education, such as a high school, secondary school. Tertiary education is normally taken to include undergraduate and postgraduate education, as well as vocational education and training. Colleges and universities are the main institutions that provide tertiary education. Collectively, these are sometimes known as tertiary institutions. Tertiary education generally results in the receipt of certificates, diplomas, or academic degrees.

Higher education includes teaching, research and social services activities of universities, and within the realm of teaching, it includes both the undergraduate level (sometimes referred to as tertiary education) and the graduate (or postgraduate) level (sometimes referred to as graduate school). Higher education in that country generally involves work towards a degree-level or foundation degree qualification. In most developed countries a high proportion of the population (up to 50%) now enter higher education at some time in their lives. Higher education is therefore very important to national economies, both as a significant industry in its own right, and as a source of trained and educated personnel for the rest of the economy.^{[citation needed]}

UHL2312

assalamualaikum...
i feel really proud to be accepted to UMP...
technical english class did not give me any problem or stress..
thank u...