Est-ce un oiseau ? Est-ce un avion ? Non, c'est le Flyboard Air !

La société française Zapata Racing a fait sa réputation autour de ses solutions Flyboard, des systèmes basés sur l'hydropropulsion que vous avez sans doute déjà vus, au moins en vidéo. Avec le Flyboard Air, la société va plus loin avec une unité autonome de propulsion (comme l'appelle Zapata Racing) qui ferait passer l'hoverboard de Marty McFly pour une antiquité.


Mise à jour : Zapata Racing a publié sur sa page Facebook une seconde vidéo dans laquelle on voit l'atterrissage, pour répondre, je cite, « à tous ceux qui pensaient que le Flyboard Air était un fake ». L'équipe donne également rendez-vous ce WE, durant lequel elle compte « établir un record ».

 

Transwheel concept proves future delivery drones don’t necessarily need to fly

as a final project at shenkar college in israel, industrial design student kobi shiker introduces a set of  concept robot drones named ‘transwheel’, that will help in the field of transportation and delivery. it is an autonomous robotic wheel what a self balancing system with retractable electric arms and GPS communication capabilities that enable it to operate in isolation or as a troop. they’d be able to carry out delivery needs around the clock, as small as courier boxes and as big as shipping containers. kobi’s ‘transwheel’ concept expands upon unmanned flying drones that are getting a fair amount of development from popular stores like amazon and walmart, with wheeled counterparts that would be more robust and versatile.

Finally, the Jetson's flying car you've been waiting for is here

Welcome to a City Designed for Testing Driverless Cars

PSFK by Teo Armus


Autonomous cars may not be driving down real roads anytime soon, but with Mcity at the University of Michigan, they now have their own private small town.

MCity—a fully functional, 32-acre suburban landscape located just outside Michigan’s flagship campus in Ann Arbor—was unveiled earlier this week as it begins hosting research by the university’s Mobility Transformation Center.

“There are many challenges ahead as automated vehicles are increasingly deployed on real roadways,” says Peter Sweatman, the center’s director. “Mcity is a safe, controlled, and realistic environment where we are going to figure out how the incredible potential of connected and automated vehicles can be realized quickly, efficiently and safely.”

The site is designed to include every obstacle a driverless car could encounter while out on real roads, especially environments where a car would be challenged. A series of straight and curved roads atop different kinds of material goes past traffic signals, sidewalks, and mock construction obstacles, in addition to signs covered in graffiti and faded lane markings.

Why Hoverboards Keep Exploding

Josh Valcarcel/WIRED

Those self-balancing scooters that everyone’s calling “hoverboards” don’t actually hover. But that’s not the strangest thing about them—that would be the fact that this year’s most popular holiday gift keeps catching on fire.
An exploding two-wheeler burned down a house in Louisiana a few weeks ago; another scooter combusted in the same state in the past week. A gyroboard caused significant damage to a home in New York a few days ago. At a mall in Washington this week, a scooterboard caught fire and shoppers were forced to evacuate. The perceived danger is significant enough that major airlines have banned the little vehicles altogether.
But what is actually causing all these fires? In the New York and Louisiana incidents, the board was plugged in and recharging. In the mall incident, the board wasn’t plugged in at all; there have also been reports of scooters bursting into flames while people were riding them. Plugged in or not, the big problem has to do with the quality of the rechargeable lithium-ion batteries inside these things. They’re almost always tucked in one of the foot rests, and they work the same way as the lithium-ion batteries in our smartphones, tablets, and laptops. They’re just a lot more prone to defects.
Jay Whitacre, Professor of Materials Science & Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, says that the problem doesn’t have to do with these self-balancing scooters themselves, but with the quality of the batteries being used. They’re cheap, and it makes sense: This is a hot (pun not intended) holiday product, the reputable models are pretty expensive, and more-affordable brands are using cheaper components to lure in shoppers that don’t want to spend a grand or more on a hands-free Segway. Predictably, a slew of cut-rate brands are flooding the market with shoddy scooters made from cheapo components.

Cyclist-Favoring Weather Sensors

This Traffic Light Sensor Prioritizes Bike Riders in the Rain

Published: Dec 31, 2015 • References: rotterdam.nl & springwise

This traffic light sensor in the Dutch city of Rotterdam gives cyclists a green light faster in rainy weather. The sensor system is currently part of a trial that only makes bike riders wait for 40 seconds for the light to turn green when it's raining.

Other cities are also experimenting with traffic priority, but this is the only one to focus in on inclement weather conditions. This allows wet commuters to get to their destination faster while dry drivers compromise with longer sitting time at traffic lights. Currently the traffic light sensor only exists at one intersection, but there are plans to extend their reach in the future.

Rotterdam already has dedicated phasing for bicycle lanes, showing how invested the city council is to encouraging environmentally friendly (not to mention healthy) modes of transport.

Germany opens the first 3 miles of a 60-mile bicycle superhighway

Move over, bike lanes. Move wayyyy over. Germany put its pedals where its mouth is and opened its first bicycle-only highway, a three-mile stretch of protected roadway that is closed to cars and other motor vehicles. Unlike a traditional bike lane, which is separated only by paint on the asphalt, a bicycle highway is an entirely separate roadway where cyclists can zoom along on their merry way without worrying about car traffic at all.

Cette ville qui vaut un milliard ne sera jamais habitée

 La ville fantôme sortira de terre aux Etats-Unis mais personne n'y vivra. La métropole est vouée à être le terrain d'expérimentation de grandes innovations technologiques.

Une ville tout droit sortie d'un scenario de science-fiction. Dans les plaines arides du Nouveau-Mexique aux Etats-Unis, entre le site qui a servi de test pour la première bombe atomique et la frontière du Mexique, une nouvelle ville émerge.

Cette ville de 39 kilomètres carrés, située à l'ouest de Hobbs, aurait la capacité d'accueillir 35.000 habitants. Elle disposera d'un centre des affaires moderne et d'une banlieue résidentielle. Les rues flambant neuves seront bordées de parcs, centres commerciaux et d'une église.

Mais cette ville qui a bénéficié d'un investissement d'un milliard de dollars ne sera jamais habitée. Cette métropole virtuelle a pourtant tout d'une ville américaine ordinaire. Mais la CITE (Centre d'Essais et d'Évaluation de l'Innovation, en français) deviendra à court terme le terrain d'expérimentation de plusieurs grandes innovations technologiques. Elle sera utilisée comme une sorte de tube à essai géant pour tester les nouvelles technologies qui façonneront l'avenir de l'environnement urbain.

Japon : des robots taxis transporteront leurs premiers passagers dès 2016

L'expérience sera effectuée à Fujisawa, écocité bâtie en 2011 à 50 kilomètres de la capitale. Ses participants, une cinquantaine de personnes âgées, seront véhiculés par des taxis autonomes pour aller faire leurs courses.

Si les Occidentaux sont encore méfiants à l'idée de confier les commandes d'un véhicule à un ordinateur, la population japonaise se fie plus facilement à l'intelligence artificielle en l'intégrant de plus en plus dans son quotidien. En témoigne l'inauguration, en juillet, à Tokyo, du premier hôtel au monde entièrement géré par des robots. En annonçant que des taxis autonomes allaient embarquer leurs premiers passagers à partir de mars, le Japon réaffirme sa position de précurseur en matière de robotique.

Should Amazon Add This Rolling Delivery Drone to Its Courier Squad?

Drone delivery has been discussed, promised and tested frequently over the past three years, with most of the focus on quadcopter and similar flying drone methods. Challenges to that model include some dangers of unregulated air traffic and a restrictive weight limit for feasible flying. Transwheel, a design concept by industrial engineer Kobi Shikar, could solve both of those problems with a reconceptualization of the best drone model for the job.
Shikar’s idea replaces the flying drone with a self-stabilizing, self-driving unicycle. The chassis rests below the payload, carrying the package on its head like an old-world porter as it bears the delivery along roads and sidewalks to its destination. Long or heavy packages could be carried by multiple, linked drones operating in concert.
A Transwheel unit would use both GPS navigation and a suite of sensors to safely get a package to its destination. A camera unit would both detect nearby obstacles while in motion and interface with a facial recognition unit to identify the recipient of their delivery. Shikar asserts that the optics are sensitive enough to recognize whether a street light is red or green, though still expresses concerns about dealing with unexpected movements from cars or pedestrians. A related problem stems from Transwheel’s low profile and small size: it would be even more difficult to spot than a bicycle or motorcycle.

Though this is a slightly different take on the idea, Transwheel is not without precedent. Amazon’s delivery drones and Google’s driverless car are clearly the conceptual parents of the robotic drone — a fact which could streamline the delivery robot’s development since both programs have done much of the heavy lifting.

Shikar’s website details models of the Transwheel working together to carry boxes above their heads or manning a full lane for a delivery. The concept remains at the design and idea stage. He has made no announcements about if and when he will move into the prototyping or development stages, but a consumer can wish.
Transwheel

Mercedes-Benz's self-driving big-rig proves that autonomous vehicles are coming sooner than we think

A Mercedes-Benz big-rig just made history by driving itself on a public road.

Terrafugia TF-X Flying Car

 

TF-X is the practical realization of the dream of countless visions of the future; it is designed to be the flying car for all of us. In order to achieve this long-sought-after vision, Terrafugia will focus the TF-X program with clear goals that enhance the safety, simplicity, and convenience of personal transportation.

Recycled Plastic Roads : eco-friendly roads

These Eco-Friendly Roads are Low-Maintenance and Easy to Install

Published: Jul 14, 2015 • References: en.volkerwessels & treehugger

A Dutch construction firm called 'VolkerWessels' has begun drawing up plans for revolutionary eco-friendly roads made from recycled plastic. Currently most roads are made from asphalt, which is problematic because this material emits a great deal of carbon dioxide and contributes to urban heat island effects. VolkerWessels has devised a way to combat these issues by making use of plastic waste as a roadbed material.

The eco-friendly roads would be made entirely out of recycled plastic. Plastic is an ideal construction material because it is lighter and hollow, meaning less weight on the ground. These features mean shorter construction times and less long-term maintenance. Plastic would also make it easier for road crews to install utility pipelines and other cables below the surface of the road.

VolkerWessels is going to begin testing its new plastic roadbeds in Rotterdam. If the project is successful, we may soon begin seeing plastic roads replacing asphalt as a primary construction material.

Commercial Spaceport Approved for Houston

Another step closer to space tourism.

 

Expansion of the space tourism industry is inevitable. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has officially announced Houston as the location for the U.S.’s new commercial spaceport. The spaceport will be built on the property of Houston’s public and military transportation hub Ellington Airport, and will house “horizontally-launched” space vehicles as well as a space vehicle assembly. The project has been approved after a long two-year wait and will without a doubt bring in tourists from all over the world with high hopes of traveling to outer space destinations.

nteractive Taxi Learning Tools

UberDRIVE is Training Tool to Enhance Navigational Skills

Published: Jun 13, 2015 • References: newsroom.uber & techcrunch

Ridesharing giant Uber is taking a major step in addressing customer concerns with its newest venture, UberDRIVE, an interactive game for iOS designed to enhance driver's navigational skills without using up their gas. While Uber has revolutionized the taxi and transit industry with its affordable rates and convenient ordering options including pre-registered credit cards, fare splits and direct driver contact, the company has fallen short in driver training due to its massive network.

Despite the app's GPS capabilities, it is not uncommon for Uber drivers to have limited knowledge of the surrounding areas, a problem which has resulted in widespread complaints on social media. UberDRIVE, a mobile game for iOS, is the company's proactive solution, which will "help drivers figure out how to maneuver through city streets, starting with San Francisco," according to TechCrunch.

UberDRIVE Players will operate as Uber drivers, picking up and dropping off digital customers while mapping their way through city streets and obstacles. Players will also earn points throughout the game as they find the most efficient routes. The more points a player earns, the more chances they have to unlock better cars and new areas of the city.

While Uber has often been recognized for its revolutionary approach to technology, UberDRIVE will surely follow suit with its fun and friendly approach to job training.

Google’s Plan to Eliminate Human Driving in 5 Years

Google’s adorable self-driving car prototype hits the road this summer, the tech giant announced last week. Real roads, in the real world. The car has no steering wheel or pedals, so it’s up to the computer to do all the driving.
As cool as this sounds, it isn’t a huge technological step forward. The goofy little cars use the same software controlling the Lexus and Toyota vehicles that have logged hundreds of thousands of autonomous miles, and Google’s spent the past year testing its prototypes on test tracks. And, in keeping with California law, there will be a human aboard, ready to take over (with a removable steering wheel, accelerator pedal, and brake pedal) if the something goes haywire.
What’s important here is Google’s commitment to its all-or-nothing approach, which contrasts with the steady-as-she-goes approach favored by automakers like Mercedes, Audi and Nissan.
Autonomous vehicles are coming. Make no mistake. But conventional automakers are rolling out features piecemeal, over the course of many years. Cars already have active safety features like automatic braking and lane departure warnings. In the next few years, expect cars to handle themselves on the highway, with more complicated urban driving to follow.
“We call it a revolution by evolution. We will take it step by step, and add more functionality, add more usefulness to the system,” says Thomas Ruchatz, Audi’s head of driver assistance systems and integrated safety. Full autonomy is “not going to happen just like that,” where from one day to the next “we can travel from our doorstep to our work and we don’t have a steering wheel in the car.”
Google thinks that’s exactly what’s going to happen. It isn’t messing around with anything less than a completely autonomous vehicle, one that reduces “driving” to little more than getting in, entering a destination, and enjoying the ride. This tech will just appear one day (though when that day will be remains to be seen), like Venus rolling in on a scallop shell, fully formed and beautiful.

In Five Years, Your Car Will Prevent You From Driving Drunk

Automatically saving lives

By Jason Cipriani 

Drunk driving kills 28 people a day, according to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report in 2013.
Attempts to curtail deaths caused by drunk driving, from organizations like Mother’s Against Drunk Driving, have long tried to educate the public on the topic. Yet people continue to get behind the wheel after drinking. A new technology, recently demonstrated by the Department of Transportation (DOT), might be able to prevent that.
Using special touch pads, either located in the push-to-start button or in the steering wheel, the vehicle can measure whether or not the driver has been drinking. If it’s determined the driver is over the legal limit with blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher, the vehicle will not start.

NYC taxis are going high-tech to compete with Uber

Graham Rapier

If you can’t beat them, join them.

Rather than fighting Uber in courts, the Taxi and Limousine Commission has found a new way to go after their high-tech competitors: catching up.

NYC cabs will be outfitted with "black box" data recorders to evaluate the safety of drivers. The boxes record data including speed, acceleration, braking and other “unsafe driving factors,” a press release said.

The pilot program comes as part of Mayor de Blasio’s highly touted Vision Zero initiative, which has a mission of eliminating traffic fatalities.

“The data collected by this piloted technology will help our industries reinforce good driving practices that will ultimately keep drivers, passengers, pedestrians and cyclists as safe as possible,” TLC commissioner Meera Joshi said in a statement.

For now, the technology has been installed in ten vehicles, including yellow cabs, Boro Taxis and private for-hire vehicles.

The release did not say when the technology would be rolled out for all cabs. 

 

California Labor Commission rules an Uber driver is an employee, which could clobber the $50 billion company

The California labor commission has ruled that an Uber driver is an employee, not a contractor, Reuters reports.

The decision was made after a San Francisco driver, Barbara Ann Berwick, filed a claim against the company.
The commission sided with her largely because it deemed Uber was "involved in every aspect of the operation."
It's potentially a huge blow to Uber's business model, at least in California. There's currently a class action suit going on in which drivers are suing Uber (and competitor Lyft) trying to get classified as employees rather than contractors.
Today's decision is not part of that suit, but it could lend some ammunition to it.
Uber is appealing the board's ruling.

In a statement, Uber said:
The California Labor Commission’s ruling is non-binding and applies to a single driver. Indeed it is contrary to a previous ruling by the same commission, which concluded in 2012 that the driver ‘performed services as an independent contractor, and not as a bona fide employee.’ Five other states have also come to the same conclusion.

By appealing the ruling in the California Superior Court, though, Uber could find itself establishing a precedent.
“If the decision gets affirmed, then it could be a broader precedent,” said Shannon Liss-Riordan, the attorney who is representing Uber drivers in a class-action suit against the company.
Even without the affirmation, Liss-Riordan said she can still use the decision to her advantage.
“I think it is significant that the California agency charged with upholding California labor laws determined this driveris an employee under the law,” Liss-Riordan said. “Courts often give some deference to a state agency."

Right now, Uber has hardly any costs other than its 3,000-plus employees in its San Francisco headquarters. Uber takes a percentage of every ride (20%-30%). It doesn't employ drivers; it merely connects supply (user requests on its app) with demand (independent contract drivers who are roaming and have agreed to partner with Uber).

If all drivers there were classified as employees, Uber wouldn't just be a logistics company printing money, at least in California.
The cost to run the business there would skyrocket. Uber would have to seriously consider downsizing the number of drivers it has as partners and provide benefits for them all.
Employees are expensive; companies have to pay Social Security and Medicare taxes for each employee among other things, according to the IRS. They don't have to do any of that for independent contractors.
Also, drivers have to cover a lot of their expenses — gas, car maintenance, insurance — though Uber has begun to offer perks to offset some of these costs.

Let's keep in mind that this ruling is only in California. Uber, which was last valued at about $50 billion, has more than 1 million drivers worldwide.
While California is Uber's largest market, the company operates in 311 cities and 58 countries, so this is a small percentage of Uber's global business.

By the way, this ruling isn't just a huge deal for Uber and Lyft. There have been a lot of "Uber for X" startups to follow in their wake: $1 billion startup Instacart, for example, has contract workers deliver groceries; $250 million startup Shyp has regular people mail things for customers.
If these companies, which are referred to as the "1099 economy," can no longer have independent contract workers, all of their business models are shot.
And if their business models are shot, that's pretty bad news for investors who have been pouring unprecedented amounts of money into private companies over the past few years.
Their investments have allowed startups to stay private longer and avoid going public or getting acquired. That means venture capitalists and startup employees haven't had much chance to gain liquidity.

So while Uber is a $50 billion company on paper and investors look like gods who will get crazy returns someday, many haven't actually gotten much cash back yet.
This concept — pouring lots of money into companies without seeing a cash return — is called a "dry bubble." And as Uber board member Bill Gurly recently tweeted:
"Wet bubbles (1999) are more fun than dry ones (2015)."
Below is a copy of the Uber ruling, from June 16.
Driverless cars are probably starting to look pretty good to Uber right about now.

Uber Filing

How far in advance you should book your flight

Talia Avakian and Samantha Lee
May 12, 2015

Buying your flight at the right time can help you save some serious cash, but it's not always easy knowing when the right time is.

CheapAir.com studies over 1.5 billion fares every year to estimate how far in advance you should book for flights, from domestic fares in the United States to international trips around the globe.

Here are their results, along with insider tips from the George Hobica, founder of Airfarewatchdog.com, on how to score great flights:


Samantha Lee/Business Insider