Transport

Leftover straw from wheat harvests could be the building blocks for greener chemicals. Image credit – Pixabay/ ArnoBeauvois

agriculture | environment | transport

10 October 2017

Wheat straw waste could be basis for greener chemicals

The straw leftover from harvested wheat could be turned into bio-based chemicals that offer high greenhouse gas savings and do not compete with food supplies or damage ecosystems.

Researchers hope to make cars energy efficient by measuring road conditions through your smartphone. Image credit - CROWD4ROADS

transport | environment

14 September 2017

Sensors in your smartphone could make roads greener

By combining car sharing apps with a smartphone’s ability to measure movement and vibration, researchers are hoping to make roads greener.

Spinning cylindrical sails can be used on large ships to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and propel them forward. Image credit - Norsepower

environment | transport

12 September 2017

Cleaner engines and spinning sails propel emissions reductions in big ships

A major overhaul of ship propulsion is underway to make global shipping cleaner and more energy-efficient.

Researchers are looking into smart radar and on-bike avoidance tech to prevent accidents with cyclists. Credit: CC0 Public Domain

transport

12 June 2017

Small-scale Doppler effect to help cyclists stay safe

An extremely sensitive radar that can detect when different parts of people’s bodies are moving at different speeds could help drivers avoid collisions with vulnerable road users such as cyclists.

Road traffic makes up one-fifth of the EU’s total CO2 emissions. Image credit: Pixabay/ Gellinger

transport

09 June 2017

Competing businesses cooperate to take empty trucks off our roads

Linking up empty trucks and competing businesses through trusted networks could mean less road traffic and pollution.

Motorbike or moped riders have a 12 times higher chance of dying per kilometre than car drivers, according to researchers. Credit: ‘Motor Cycle EB’ by Eric Baetscher is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

transport

30 May 2017

Two wheels closer to a safe arrival

Death doesn’t visit our roads equally.

European Commissioner Carlos Moedas says that we need to invent, create and guide the future of connected and automated transport. Credit: Connected and Automated Driving conference

transport | ict | policy

06 April 2017

Now is the time to shape the future of transport – Commissioner Moedas

Connected and automated cars could improve road safety, pollution levels and social inclusion, but only if implemented well – and now is the time to shape the course of events, EU research commissioner Carlos Moedas told a conference in Brussels.

Dr Alexander Kröller is researching the risk that hacking and viruses pose to self-driving cars. Image courtesy of Dr Alexander Kröller

interview | transport | ict

16 March 2017

Hackers could blackmail owners of self-driving cars - Dr Alexander Kröller, TomTom

Automated vehicles have the potential to revolutionise our day-to-day lives, but these kind of cyber-physical systems are vulnerable to attack by criminals. Horizon spoke with Dr Alexander Kröller, a research manager at Dutch navigation company TomTom, to explore the risks that hacking and viruses pose to self-driving cars.

New systems will manage interactions between automated vehicles to make sure traffic flows as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Credit: Unsplash/ Pedro Gandra

transport

14 March 2017

Choreographing automated cars could save time, money and lives

If you take humans out of the driving seat, could traffic jams, accidents and high fuel bills become a thing of the past? As cars become more automated and connected, attention is turning to how to best choreograph the interaction between the tens or hundreds of automated vehicles that will one day share the same segment of Europe's road network.

Level 3 automation, where the car handles all aspects of driving with the driver on standby, is being tested in Sweden. Image courtesy of Volvo cars

transport

10 March 2017

Split-second decisions – navigating the fine line between man and machine

Today’s self-driving car isn’t exactly autonomous – the driver has to be able to take over in a pinch, and therein lies the roadblock researchers are trying to overcome.