Automotive

traffic jam, automotive, row-688566.jpg

Bilateral Control: MIT’s answer to Traffic Jams

Automotive, Engineering, Mathematics / By

Navigating traffic can be a test of patience, especially when tailgating adds stress to an already congested commute. But what if a simple change in driving behavior could significantly ease traffic congestion and reduce travel time? New research from MIT suggests that maintaining a safe and equal distance between the car in front and the car behind could be a game-changer.

A computer simulation by MIT researchers showing traffic flow when equal distance on both the front and back is maintained (top) and when drivers focus on the vehicle in front (bottom)

Tailgating, aside from being aggressive and unsafe, exacerbates traffic jams, according to a study published in the journal IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems. The researchers propose a behavioral shift: drivers should consider not only the car in front but also the one behind, maintaining equilibrium to keep traffic flowing smoothly — in what they call “bilateral control”. This adjustment, backed by mathematical simulations, could potentially reduce commute times in half on certain roads.

The study’s co-author, Berthold Horn, a professor in MIT’s Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science expands on his previous work on “bilateral control” and takes a more macro level view in this new paper. He states “Birds have be doing this for centuries. To program this behavior, you’d want to look at the birds all around you and not just the ones in front of you.”

Evidently, he hopes that car companies incorporate rear sensors and update cruise control systems to account for these distances, so that traffic flow could significantly improve. However, the full benefits would only be realised if a substantial number of cars implement this system in the real world. According to Horn, traffic would improve drastically if just a small percentage of all cars implemented such systems. In future work funded in part by Toyota, he hopes to produce further simulations to test whether this method improves both the speed and safety of transportation on public road systems.

In conclusion, such systems can drastically improve transportation time and even reduce our global Carbon footprint by 25.4 billion kilograms of CO2.

https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8861133
https://stormy.biology.utah.edu/publications/1984_Potts_Nature.pdf
https://people.csail.mit.edu/bkph/articles/Suppressing_Traffic_Flow%20Instabilities_IEEE_ITS_2013.pdf
https://math.mit.edu/traffic/

Alef Aeronautics

Flying cars become a reality – FAA approves

Aeronautical, Automotive, Editors Pick, Technology / By

What the world once considered to be something out of a sci-fi movie might just become reality. Alef Aeronautics, an automotive aviation company, has been working on this flying car for the past 7-8 years and has without a doubt left not only the world of flight and travel but also the general public in awe. This electric vehicle is expected to hit the American skyline in the year 2025, and preorders begin at a whopping $300,000 (USD). 

As per a report from Times Now, the company has already started accepting pre-orders and money deposits for the vehicle, but the vehicle itself will only be delivered by 2025. The design is urban, futuristic, and the car itself is sustainable. CEO Jim Dukhonvy backs this claim, as he says “We’re excited to receive this certification from the FAA. It allows us to move closer to bringing people an environmentally friendly and faster commute, saving individuals and companies hours each week. This is one small step for planes, one giant step for cars.” 

Not only is this a huge step towards technological advancements, but also is an insight to the future. As several sources report, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved and certified this yet-to-be automobile. With a vertical take-off stance, “Model A,” can currently carry 2 people and travel about 200 miles. 

Alef’s newest development and the approval of the FAA is only the stepping stone to a more sustainable and safer future.