Japanese rail company rolls out VR-piloted Gundam robot worker

The West Japan Rail Company has released video of its new humanoid heavy equipment robot. Mounted on the end of a crane, this gundam-style robot torso mimics the arm and head motions of a human pilot, who sees through the robot’s eyes via VR goggles.Co… Continue reading Japanese rail company rolls out VR-piloted Gundam robot worker

ZHA’s curving metro stations incorporate recycled steel pavilions

Construction is now underway on three new Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)-designed metro stations in Dnipro, Ukraine. The project will showcase the firm’s trademark futuristic curving style, and will acknowledge the area’s history with a series of eye-catc… Continue reading ZHA’s curving metro stations incorporate recycled steel pavilions

Startup looks to reinvent freight by rail with autonomous electric haulers

A California startup co-founded by three former SpaceX engineers has emerged from stealth with a plan to build autonomous electric vehicles to haul freight by rail, and has raised a sizable pot of cash to move things forward.Continue ReadingCategory: T… Continue reading Startup looks to reinvent freight by rail with autonomous electric haulers

World-first road/rail-traveling bus to enter use on Christmas Day

Why bother transferring between a bus and a train, if you could just stay in one vehicle that travels on both roads and tracks? That’s the thinking behind a new dual-mode vehicle (DMV), which is slated to begin operations in Japan on December 25.Contin… Continue reading World-first road/rail-traveling bus to enter use on Christmas Day

Second-life EV batteries find use in railway crossings

Eventually the battery packs at the heart of electric cars are going to reach the end of their useful lives, but their story doesn’t necessarily end there. They can still retain enough charge for other applications, such as energy storage, boating and … Continue reading Second-life EV batteries find use in railway crossings

Arctic Towns, Railways, and Pipelines At Risk of Permafrost Thaw Damage

About 45 percent of globally important oil and gas fields in the Russian Arctic are located in zones made hazardous by permafrost melt, scientists said. Continue reading Arctic Towns, Railways, and Pipelines At Risk of Permafrost Thaw Damage

Social Engineering by Railways

Where do you travel every day? Are there any subtle ploys to manipulate your behavior? Would you recognize them or are they just part of the location? Social engineering sometimes gets a bad rap (or is it rep?) in the mainstream, but the public-facing edge of that sword can keep order as it does in Japanese train stations. They employ a whirlwind of psychological methods to make the stations run like clockwork.

The scope of strategies ranges from the diabolical placement of speakers emitting high-frequency tones to discourage youthful loitering to the considerate installation of blue lights to deter suicides. …read more

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Retrotechtacular: The Last Main Line

If you were to nominate a technology from the 19th century that most defined it and which had the greatest effect in shaping it, you might well settle upon the railway. Over the century what had started as horse-drawn mining tramways evolved into a global network of high-speed transport that meant travel times to almost anywhere in the world on land shrank from months or weeks to days or hours.

For Brits, by the end of the century a comprehensive network connected almost all but the very smallest towns and villages. There had been many railway companies formed over the …read more

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The Ukrainian Power Grid Was Hacked Again

Experts say the country appears to be a “testbed” for cyber attacks that could be used around the world. Continue reading The Ukrainian Power Grid Was Hacked Again