Once upon a time in a traffic jam

...directly behind a bus a smart engineer was struck by a brilliant idea: Why do buses in heavy-traffic areas not simply drive on stilts?


Image source: www.hsfuture.com

No sooner said than done: The south Chinese company Shenzhen Huashi Future Parking Equipment has found a really futuristic solution matching its own name: buses that simply bridge traffic jams and other obstacles on fence-like stilts.



Image source: www.hsfuture.com

Why making the simple complicated :)

»»» www.hsfuture.com/ehbus.html

Swimming buses

Image Source: DATBV

An amphibious bus just started its regular service in Glasgow, Scotland. It connects the districts of Clydebank and Yoker via the river Clyde. The ferry was no longer profitable due to the decreasing number of passengers. Like something from a James Bond film, a space-age vehicle emerges from the River Clyde in Glasgow. But this bus is not set for the big screen. The 45-seater is part of the city's transport vision for the future.

»»» http://www.station.lu/

A future for 'brainy robots'?

Here's something regarding this question:

»»» http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk


Image: Volker Steger/Science Photo Library

Some scientists think robots like Gordon will be everywhere in the future. 'Integrating a biological brain into a robot is an enormous step that opens up a whole new area for robotics and artificial intelligence,' says Kevin Warwick.

Other robot experts believe that keeping brain tissue alive for long periods is too tricky. 'It's an interesting idea, but I think it's more likely that effort will go into making better artificial brains,' says Murray Shanahan.

Robots with a brain

Image: Diem Photography/University of Reading

... as intelligent as a common rat - or: Intelligence is hard to copy.

»»» http://www.sciencemuseum.org.uk/antenna/ratbrains/

Gordon is a very special robot. Controlled by a dish full of rats' brain cells, he's helping scientists to understand how our brains work. Antenna explores the science behind Gordon, what he might tell us about the brain, and what his creation could mean for the future of robotics...