Dashing Computer Interface To Control Your Car

ScienceDaily (Sep. 2, 2008) — European researchers have developed a special dashboard computer to act as a single conduit for all devices emerging in modern cars – GPS, mobile, PDAs, intelligent car technologies. It should mean a better, more relaxed and even safer driving experience.

European research and the automotive industry have joined forces and developed a dashboard interface that can link and control the increasing information and vehicle controls systems currently emerging in the automotive industry.

Right now, dozens of research projects around Europe are working on new technologies to improve automotive safety and to develop intelligent vehicles. But all of these systems must then be added to the dozens of controls and user devices that are already found in a car.

Current in-vehicle systems like open door and seat belt warnings will soon be joined by lane assistance, hazard detection and a host of other information and systems for safe and efficient driving.

Information overload

“There is a real risk the driver will become overwhelmed as the number of in-car systems multiply,” warns Angelos Amditis, dissemination manager of the EU-funded AIDE integrated project. “There are so many potential demands on driver attention from these new systems that they could prove distracting.”

AIDE was set up to tackle this potential problem by developing an Adaptive, Integrated Driver-vehicle interface, or AIDE. The AIDE system provides a clearinghouse for all of the systems operating in a car and to interact with the driver.

This central intelligence can prioritise and emphasise the most important and urgent information based on the driver’s state and current driving conditions, and it can put all other non-essential alerts on hold.

Not nag-ware

AIDE designed the technology to prioritise demands on the driver’s attention depending on driving conditions. If the car is approaching a tricky junction, for example, it can hold all mobile calls and text messages, or suspend non-safety critical information.

The AIDE system can support many different functions, and help to ensure that drivers get the best possible use out of those functions, and that the system is safe and easy to use.

It works by sharing input and output controls among the various subsystems, such as collision avoidance or the mobile phone unit. It then coordinates information centrally, deciding the best course of action for both a given driving situation and the driver’s current state.

If the driver is distracted, for example, the system issues warnings with greater intensity. AIDE also developed the interface so that it could adapt to different types of driver. It is possible to personalise the warning, the media, timing and its intensity according to the driver’s profile, both explicit and implicit preferences, explains Amditis.

AIDE was popular among drivers in field tests, with approximately 50% of the test subjects reporting that they appreciated support from the system. That is a surprising result, really, given that many drivers find in-car systems – like seat belt and door warnings – maddening, and it is very difficult to develop a comfortable interface.

But AIDE succeeded in developing helpful software rather than what could easily be annoying nag-ware.

The positive field response is a tribute to the studies and testing undertaken by the AIDE project. “We consulted drivers and experts, and a lot of literature about driver response to safety systems, using a user-centred design approach,” notes Amditis.

HMI cookbook

AIDE also looked at quantitative models and simulation, which may ultimately provide a cost-effective system for testing. The perfect quantitative model remains elusive for now, but AIDE did develop a ‘cookbook’ for Human-Machine Interface (HMI) testing in the automotive industry.

“The project also raised awareness in Europe about the importance of interface issues for road safety, and AIDE has put in-car HMI on the agenda in Europe,” explains Amditis. “Many of our partners will continue AIDE’s work, adapting elements of it to their own cars and trucks, while many of the equipment manufacturers are looking on AIDE-like systems to be implemented in their vehicles.”

“There might be a move towards some standards over time, but in the short term manufacturers will deploy proprietary implementations,” he adds.

Amditis says that the partners hope to continue the work in future projects. “Right now we are putting the finishing touches to our reporting and dissemination work in AIDE, but we will be pursuing new research initiatives after that.”

The AIDE project received funding from the EU’s Sixth Framework Programme for research in ‘information society’ technologies.

Adapted from materials provided by ICT Results.

A Virtuous Cycle: Safety In Numbers For Bicycle Riders

It seems paradoxical but the more people ride bicycles on our city streets, the less likely they are to be injured in traffic accidents. (Credit: iStockphoto)

ScienceDaily (Sep. 2, 2008) — It seems paradoxical but the more people ride bicycles on our city streets, the less likely they are to be injured in traffic accidents.

International research reveals that as cycling participation increases, a cyclist is far less likely to collide with a motor vehicle or suffer injury and death – and what’s true for cyclists is true for pedestrians. And it’s not simply because there are fewer cars on the roads, but because motorists seem to change their behaviour and drive more safely when they see more cyclists and pedestrians around.

Studies in many countries have shown consistently that the number of motorists colliding with walkers or cyclists doesn’t increase equally with the number of people walking or bicycling. For example, a community that doubles its cycling numbers can expect a one-third drop in the per-cyclist frequency of a crash with a motor vehicle.

“It’s a virtuous cycle,” says Dr Julie Hatfield, an injury expert from UNSW who address a cycling safety seminar in Sydney, Australia, on September 5. “The likelihood that an individual cyclist will be struck by a motorist falls with increasing rate of bicycling in a community. And the safer cycling is perceived to be, the more people are prepared to cycle.”

Experts say the effect is independent of improvements in cycling-friendly laws such as lower speed limits and better infrastructure, such as bike paths. Research has revealed the safety-in-numbers impact for cyclists in Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, 14 European countries and 68 Californian cities.

“It’s a positive effect but some people are surprised that injury rates don’t go up at the same rate of increases in cycling,” says Sydney University’s Dr Chris Rissel, co-author of a 2008 research report on cycling.

“It appears that motorists adjust their behaviour in the presence of increasing numbers of people bicycling because they expect or experience more people cycling. Also, rising cycling rates mean motorists are more likely to be cyclists, and therefore be more conscious of, and sympathetic towards, cyclists.”

Safety concerns are among the most significant barriers preventing Australians from cycling, including among those who cycle regularly, according to the report, titled Cycling: Getting Australia Moving. Despite this, over 1.68 million adults cycled in 2006, an increase of almost 250,000 since 2001. During this period, Australian capital cities experienced an average 22 percent increase in bicycle journeys to work. The city of Melbourne led with a 42 percent increase, while the city of Sydney lagged the field with a nine percent increase. 2006 figures reveal that 12,132 Sydneysiders cycle to work.

Dr Rissel says transport authorities should highlight the fun, convenience and health and environmental benefits of cycling, rather than what he views as an undue emphasis on danger and safety messages, which can deter cyclists: “We should create a cycling friendly environment and accentuate cycling’s positives rather than stress negatives with ‘safety campaigns’ that focus on cyclists without addressing drivers and road conditions. Reminding people of injury rates and risks, to wear helmets and reflective visible clothes has the unintended effect of reinforcing fears of cycling which discourages people from cycling.”

Adapted from materials provided by University of New South Wales, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Safer Skies For The Flying Public: New Air Traffic Control System Model Will Track Variables Without Human Input

Dr. Caramanis is working on a mathematical model that combines theories and calculations from probability, statistics, optimization modeling, economics and game theory to be used for a new air traffic control system. (Credit: Erin McCarley)

ScienceDaily (Sep. 3, 2008) — University of Texas professor Constantine Caramanis and colleagues at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on a air traffic decision-making system that rapidly adapts its flight recommendations without human input based on thousands of changing variables. The computer model Caramanis, lead researcher Cynthia Barnhart, and other colleagues from MIT are developing will monitor weather conditions as well as current airplane locations and probable routes.

“There is currently no unified decision-making framework for air traffic flow optimization,” said Dr. Caramanis. “The complicated nature of the process, and the need to make quick adjustments when changes occur, will best be addressed with a mathematical model that combines theories and calculations from probability, statistics, optimization modeling, economics and game theory.”

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides each airline with a set limit of planes that can take off and land during any given timeframe. These slot decisions are based on estimates of what will optimize air traffic flow, taking into consideration imperfect weather predictions, the changing mix of flights airlines wants to move, and other variables for the thousands of flights that crisscross U.S. skies daily. The airlines then choose the flights.

While developing the air traffic optimization model, the researchers will also consider new ways to lessen delays and flight cancellations. For example, they will consider the possibility of allowing airlines to barter for slots when one airline can’t get a flight off the ground and others could do so.

“The idea is to have an overarching optimization model that allows balance and flexibility to the decisions being made so that we can successfully exploit whatever slack in the system we can,” Caramanis said. “Our model will have autonomous re-configurability which is the ability to adapt to new information on its own.”

Adapted from materials provided by University of Texas at Austin, Electrical & Computer Engineering, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

Heavy Trucks: Safety Research Identifies Factors That Lead To Loss Of Control, Accidents

ScienceDaily (Sep. 3, 2008) — Research carried out in Sweden suggests that there are three critical manoeuvres that lead to loss of control of heavy trucks and subsequent accidents. Writing in the International Journal of Vehicle Safety, the researchers explain that negotiating a bend is the main cause of loss of control, closely followed by avoidance manoeuvres, and road-edge recovery.

Sogol Kharrazi and Robert Thomson of the Department of Applied Mechanics, at Chalmers University of Technology, Gothenburg, Sweden have analysed data from the Large Truck Crash Causation Study database and looked at what caused the drivers to lose control of their vehicles. They considered accident type, what kind of manoeuvres preceded the accident, the class of vehicles involved in the accident, driving conditions and road characteristics.

By identifying common critical manoeuvres the team hopes, not only to educate the trucking industry but also to inform those involved in truck design and manufacture and road building about the factors that lead to the most accidents involving heavy trucks. Their study did not take into consideration accidents involving trucks in which the truck was not the cause or where driver fatigue, inattention or vehicle failure was involved.

Overall, they explain, loss of control was associated with almost a fifth of trucks involved in accidents. Turnover was a more common type of loss of control than yaw instability, skidding or jack-knifing, with more than half of trucks that underwent loss of control rolling whereas less than a third involved simply severe deviation from the intended path due to under-steer, over-steer, or trailer swing. About 14% experienced both yaw instability and turnover. Most (84%) of loss of control accidents involved a single vehicle.

Negotiating a bend in the road was the main critical manoeuvre leading to loss of control, with almost two-thirds of incidents taking place on a curve, the researchers say. Avoidance manoeuvres accounted for more than one in ten of loss of control accidents and similar numbers where the driver was attempting to regain position on the road after veering off into a verge.

Intriguingly, wet conditions were not a common factor in loss of control accidents. Dry road conditions were present for three quarters of all trucks which underwent loss of control, the researchers report. However, wet road conditions were associated with more than half of trucks that jack-knifed or otherwise underwent yaw instability.

Turning at intersection, lane change, heavy braking on straight roads, collisions with pedestrians or animals, or speeding on low-friction straight roads also accounted for a small percentage of loss of control accidents, the researchers add. For the heavy braking accidents, trucks involved often had no Antilock Braking System installed.

Adapted from materials provided by Inderscience, via AlphaGalileo.

Jelang Mudik, 355 Perlintasan KA Tanpa Palang

Jelang Mudik, 355 Perlintasan KA Tanpa Palang

Rabu, 3 September 2008 – 11:41 wib

PURWOKERTO – Musim mudik hampir saja tiba. Namun hingga kini, sedikitnya masih terdapat 355 perlintasan kereta api di wilayah Daop V Purwokerto tidak dilengkapi dengan palang pintu.

Untuk mengantisipasi bahaya bagi para pemudik yang melintas di perlintasan KA, pihak Daop V hanya memberikan rambu-rambu sekitar perlintasan.

Menurut Mochammad Fatcham, Humas Daop V Purwokerto, Rabu (3/9/2008) mengatakan, pihaknya tidak mungkin sanggup menempatkan petugas pada tiap perlintasan tanpa pintu tersebut dengan alasan keterbatasan personel.

“Keterbatasan pegawai kami yang hanya 1.800, tidak akan mencukupi ditempatkan di perlintasan tanpa pintu yang ada yaitu 355. Andai setiap perlintasan di jaga 4 orang saja, bisa dibayangkan berapa personel yang kami butuhkan,” kilahnya.

Namun, sebagai antisipasi, pihak Daop V telah memasang rambu di sekitar perlintasan serta membuat garis kejut menjelang perlintasan. Meski sudah ada rambu-rambu, namun Factham mengimbau kepada pengguna jalan agar berhati-hati dan memperhatikan rambu-rambu jika melewati perlintasan KA.

Untuk perlintasan KA yang tidak berpalang pintu paling banyak berada di jalur Purworejo-Kroya hingga Banjarnegara, yaitu ada 158 perlintasan tanpa pintu. Di jalur Kroya – Prupuk ada 104 perlintasan tanpa pintu. Jumlah perlintasan KA yang dilengkapi pintu jauh lebih sedikit, yaitu 72 perlintasan ditambah 13 perlintasan swakarsa.

Untuk persiapan pra Lebaran, Fatcham mengatakan, pihaknya juga akan melakukan pemeriksaan dan uji kelayakan KA secara menyeluruh sesuai standar operasional. Selain itu, Daop V juga melakukan identifikasi daerah yang rawan banjir, longsor dan pencurian rel.

Untuk daerah yang termasuk kategori rawan longsor antara lain di jalur Prembun, Purworejo, kemudian di Jeruklegi, Cilacap termasuk rawan banjir dan lain-lain. Untuk pemeriksaan sarana-prasarana dilakukan di Stasiun Kutoarjo, Kroya dan Purwokerto. (Saladin Ayyubi/Global/fit)

KA Argo Wilis Anjlok di Garut, Sejumlah Perjalanan KA Terganggu

Posting saya salin dari detiknews.com dan okezone.com.

Sabtu, 06/09/2008 11:28 WIB
KA Argo Wilis Anjlok di Garut, Sejumlah Perjalanan KA Terganggu
Mansur Hidayat – detikNews

Jakarta – Kereta Api (KA) Argo Wilis jurusan Bandung-Surabaya anjlok di Garut, Jawa Barat Sabtu (6/9/2008) pukul 08.54 WIB. Hingga pukul 11.15 WIB, 223 penumpang masih tertahan di lokasi anjok yaitu antara Cipende – Bumiwaluyo Km 233 100-200.

“Alat berat sedang didatangkan untuk mengevakuasi gerbong yang anjlok,” kata Kahumas Daops II Mateta Rizalulhak kepada detikcom pukul 11.00 WIB.

Mateta mengatakan, nantinya, setelah proses evakuasi selesai, penumpang kembali diberangkatkan dengan kereta yang sama. Hanya saya, gerbong yang anjlok yakni gerbong 4 tidak diikutsertakan.

“Nanti gerbong 3 langsung disambung ke gerbong 5 karena kalau mau diangkut pakai bus juga jauh dari jalan raya,” lanjutnya.

Hingga kini, kata dia, penyebab kereta anjlok yang berangkat dari Bandung pukul 07.00 WIB itu belum diketahui. “Masih diselidiki. Tidak ada korban,” ujarnya.

Mateta juga mengatakan, akibat peristiwa ini, beberapa perjalanan KA terganggu karena harus menunggu proses evakuasi. “Semoga bisa cepat dan jalur kembali lancar,” katanya.(ken/djo)

Sabtu, 06/09/2008 13:22 WIB
Gerbong KA Argo Wilis Belum Dievakuasi, Jalur Selatan Ditutup
Mansyur Hidayat – detikNews

Garut – 235 Penumpang KA Argo Wilis jurusan Bandung-Surabaya yang anjlok sudah dievakuasi pukul 12.30 WIB. Dengan menggunakan 5 gerbong KA Argo Wilis yang tidak anjlok, para penumpang langsung melaju menuju Surabaya.

Pantauan detikcom, Sabtu (6/9/2008), 1 gerbong yang anjlok di 1 KM jelang Stasiun Cipendey dalam proses evakuasi. Roda gerbong yang anjlok sedang diperbaiki.

Rencananya, gerbong yang anjlok itu akan dikembalikan ke relnya setelah rodanya diperbaiki. Gerbong tersebut akan diangkat dan ditarik menuju Stasiun Budi Waluyo yang jaraknya kurang lebih 8 KM.

Meski jauh dari perkampungan, masih saja ada warga yang antusias ingin menonton anjloknya gerbong KA tersebut. Seratusan petugas PT KA terlihat bekerja keras di lokasi untuk memperbaiki gerbong tersebut.

Karena masih berada di lokasi, jalur Selatan pun sementara ditutup sampai gerbong tersebut berhasil dievakuasi.(gus/ken)

PT KA Prioritaskan Evakuasi Argo Wilis

Sabtu, 6 September 2008 – 13:46 wib

Arief Pratama – Okezone

BANDUNG – Anjloknya KRD Bandung Raya di dekat stasiun Ciroyom Bandung dan Kereta Argo Wilis tujuan Surabaya di Malangbong Garut, menyebabkan pihak KA Daerah Operasi (Daop) Bandung harus mengutamakan evakuasi kereta yang berada di jalur utama.

Kahumas PT KA Daop Bandung Mateta Rizalul Haq mengatakan, pihaknya akan mengutamakan penormalan jalur kereta Argo Wilis yang anjlok di Km 23+ 100-200, tepatnya di kampung Warung Banteng, Cipendeuy, Malangbong, Garut.

“Kami memprioritaskan jalur Malangbong Ke Jateng dan Jatim, karena apabila tidak dinormalkan akan terjadi hambatan tiga sampai empat jam dari dua arah berlawanan,” ujar Mateta, di kantornya, Sabtu (6/9/2008).

Mateta mengaku, hingga kini proses evakuasi masih dilakukan. Kondisi ini menyebakan jalur KA di Malangbong masih tersendat. Kereta api, kata Mateta, masih menggunakan satu lajur secara bergantian.

Mateta menambahkan, sebanyak 235 penumpang Argo Wilis yang mengalami kecelakaan kini sudah dialihkan ke stasiun Tasikmalaya dengan menggunakan KA Lodaya. Dari stasiun tersebut rencana penumpang akan kembali melanjutkan perjalanan hingga tempat tujuan.

“Itu pun jika penumpang mau, kalau tidak penumpang akan dialihkan dengan bus kelas eksekutif dengan biaya yang ditanggung PT KA.

Sementara itu, evakuasi KRD Bandung Raya, menurut Mateta, baru akan dilakukan evakuasi nanti malam, karena dinilai tidak mengganggu jalur KA utama.

Hingga kini, Mateta mengaku masih belum memastikan penyebab kedua kecelakaan tersebut. Pihaknya juga mengaku masih akan melakukan penyelidikan terkait tragedi tersebut

Seperti diketahui, pukul 08.54 WIB, kereta api Argo Wilis dengan Nomor lambung C20195 yang menarik enam gerbong itu, anjlok saat melintas di kawasan Cipendeuy, Malangbong, Garut.

(ded)

Sabtu, 06/09/2008 17:18 WIB
Proses Evakuasi KA Argo Wilis yang Anjlok di Garut Selesai
Mansyur – detikNews

Garut – Proses evakuasi gerbong KA Argo Wilis yang anjlok di Kampung Cidahu, Desa Mekarmulya Kecamatan Malangbong Garut, Jawa Barat , selesai sekitar pukul 15.44 WIB. Gerbong KA yang anjlok ditarik ke ke Stasiun Cipeundeuy.

Saat melakukan evakusai petugas cukup kesulitan karena kondisi medan yang curam dan berada dihimpitan 2 bukit kecil. Namun demikian akhirnya, puluhan petugas PT KA berhasil memasang alat berat dan memperbaiki kondisi as yang terlepas dan anjlok ke luar rel.

Ratusan warga setempat berbondong-bondong menyaksikan proses evakuasi. Suasana di sekitar lokasi kecelakaan pun berubah menjadi wahana ngabuburit warga menunggu datangnya azan Magrib.

Meski KA sudah ditarik ke Stasiun Cipeundeuy, hingga pukul 16.30 WIB, warga masih terlihat kerumunan. Mereka melihat-lihat bekas as KA yang anjlok.

KA Argo Wilis anjlok pada KM 233+100.200 Daops II Bandung di Kampung Cidahu, Desa Mekarmulya Kecamatan Malangbong sekitar pukul 08.54 Wib. KA tersebut berangkat dari Bandung sekitar pukul 07.00 WIB dan mengangkut 235 penumpang.

Akibat kejadian ini, para penumpang baru bisa melanjutkan perjalanan pukul 12.30 WIB setelah sebelumnya dievakuasi terlebih dahulu ke Stasion Cipeundeuy.

(djo/djo)

Bikers Tewas Terlindas Mobil Box

Bikers Tewas Terlindas Mobil Box

Sabtu, 6 September 2008 – 10:18 wib

Kemas Irawan Nurrachman – Okezone

JAKARTA – Seorang pengendara motor bernama Sogi Wibowo (39) tewas setelah terlindas mobil box pukul 08.20 WIB. Peristiwa ini terjadi di Jalan Raya Bogor, atau tepatnya di depan Markas Kostrad 201, Jakarta Timur.

Seperti dilansir Traffic Management Centre Polda Metro Jaya, Sabtu (6/9/2008), sebelum terjadi insiden ini, motor Sogi bersenggolan dengan pengendara motor bernopol polisi B 3408 QT.

“Sehingga korban terjatuh, dan pada saat bersamaan datang sebuah mobil box dari arah belakang dan menabraknya. Setelah itu, mobil box itu langsung kabur tanpa diketahui identitasnya,” kata petugas TMC Aiptu Muhammad AR.

Saat ini, lanjut Muhammad, korban sudah dibawa ke RS Cipto Mangunkusumo untuk dilakukan autopsi.

“Kecelakaan ini sudah ditangani petugas unit Laka Lantas Polres Metro Jakarta Timur,” tuturnya. (kem)

Pemudik Naik Motor Meningkat

Posting saya salin dari detiknews.com

Pemudik Naik Motor Meningkat
Pemerintah Tak Punya Inovasi Angkutan Lebaran

Sabtu, 06/09/2008 05:59 WIB

M. Rizal Maslan – detikNews

Jakarta – Meningkatnya pemudik yang menggunakan sepeda motor lebaran mendatang disebabkan pemerintah belum memiliki solusi dalam dunia transportasi yang baik dan aman. Penggunaan sepeda motor bagi pemudik, selain persoalan teknologi, juga sosial kultural.

“Jadi mudik dengan sepeda motor tidak hanya fenomena teknik, tapi juga sosial kultural,” kata Ketua Umum Masyarakat Transportasi Indonesia (MTI) Bambang Susantono dalam jumpa pers di kantornya di Gedung Ranuza, Jl Timor, Menteng, Jakarta, Jumat (5/9/2008).

Menurut Bambang, sepeda motor memang tidak didesain untuk berpergian jarak panjang. Malah, bila digunakan untuk jarak tempuh yang panjang akan mengurangi keamanan berkendaraan.

Hanya saja, meningkatnya para pemudik menggunakan sepeda motor, karena memudahkan askes atau mobilisasi pemudik di kampungnya.

“Fenomena sepeda motor pada musim mudik lebaran unik dan hanya ada di Indonesia, bagaimana semua ingin senang dan dilihat sukses,” jelasnya.

Seharusnya, lanjut Bambang, pemerintah perlu menyadari fenomena tersebut karena kebutuhan mobilisasi lokal. Alasannya, pemerintah belum mampu menggantikan dengan angkutan umum yang memadai.

“Untuk itu pemerintah harus mengupayakan mengurangi jarak perjalanan antar daerah yang menggunakan sepeda motor,” ungkapnya.

Sayangnya, pemerintah belum mengembangkan maupun mengakomodasi inovasi dan terobosan baru yang diusulkan masyarakat. Salah satu alternatifnya mengembangkan angkutan Kereta Api kombinasi atau bus kombinasi.

Sistem ini menggabungkan gerbong KA untuk penumpang dan barang untuk mengangkut motor.

“Dengan begitu kebutuhan perjalanan jarak jauh sedapat mungkin dilakukan oleh angkutan umum, tanpa mengurangi kemampuan pemudik untuk berkunjung ke sanak keluarga selama lebaran,” ujar Bambang.

MTI, ditambahkan Bambang, tidak sepakat dengan pernyataan pemerintah tentang pertumbuhan pemudik dengan sepeda motor 18,09 persen. MTI mencatat, untuk tahun 2006-2007 saja pertumbuhannya sebesar 16-31 persen.

“Sehingga diperkirakan pada tahun ini pertumbuhannya pemudik pakai sepeda motor antara 25-30 persen,” ucapnya.

Oleh sebab itu, peningkatan ini akan membawa implikasi serius dalam penanganan manajemen lalulintas dan keselamatan pemudik.

(zal/mok)