AIRY TALES: When's the last time you checked the air in your car's tyres? Yes, I don't know when I last checked mine either. The problem is that under-inflated tyres increase fuel use and don't last as long. Goodyear is creating an Air Maintenance Technology device that resides inside the tyre. They give no actual details beyond saying that a tyre with the embedded device maintains the correct pressure. There are no external pumps or electronics. All just hot air? Goodyear issued the press release.
TRANSPARENT SMILE: Holograms may be directing you to the right gate if you're in Orly airport in Paris. The life-size avatars are used to help with boarding and are actually rear-projected onto a human shaped silhouette made of plexiglass. So long as holograms aren't flying the plane ... Yahoo News has more. Here's the video.
DRONING ON: With drone aircraft increasing in number every day Wales has opted to provide them with their own special airport and airspace. Drones can be used for fighting fires or environmental monitoring as well as military tasks. One problem is the often highly restrictive rules around UAV flight. A dedicated airspace will make it easier to run tests, such as for the British Army's new Watchkeeper WK450. Cloned airports for drones seems a bit redundant. Discovery News shares the details.
BOOZE WAGON: Schluckspecht is a German word for 'boozer' and also the name of an experimental battery-powered car that travelled more than 1,600 Km on a single charge. 4 drivers took turns over the 36 hours it took to drain the battery as they drove the single-seater round the Bosch corporate test track in Germany. The team credit their success to aerodynamic design and weight efficiencies. Wheel-mounted hub-motors replaced the standard engine. Average speed was 45 Kph. Getting there. Slowly getting there. PhysOrg has more info.
PHONE PARKING: It seems New York City may soon catch up with Wellington when they implement a plan to allow motorists to pay for parking with their cellphone. The phone's associated with a credit or debit card. The motorist dials a number to pay, and the phone alerts them when they run out of time. Ho hum. Check out PC World for more on this.
