TWO transport experiments on opposite ends of the globe may yet
change the way trucks are loaded and taxis are hailed in future.
In Korea, the Hyundai Motor Group has released photos of an
exoskeleton which the company says on its blog was inspired by Iron Man. The
suit, which is still in its pre-production form, can reportedly lift objects
weighing over 60 kg with no stress to your legs, arms or back.
The latest exoskeleton follows the H-LEX, a miniature exoskeleton
focused on keeping frail, elderly and disabled people as mobile as possible that
Hyundai released last year. The H-LEX weighs 12 kg and is powered by a battery
in a small backpack.
In Greenwich, London, members of the public can now register to
take part in the UK’s first public trials of driverless vehicles.
The trials form part of the Greenwich Automated Transport
Environment project — an £8 million research project to investigate the use,
perception and acceptance of autonomous vehicles in the UK.
Members of the public can now register for their chance to rate the
driverless rides.
Professor Nick Reed, director at TRL and technical lead of the
project, said the move to automated vehicles is probably the most significant
change in transport since the transition from horse-drawn carriages to motorised
vehicles.
“Testing these vehicles in a living environment, like the UK Smart
Mobility Living Lab, takes the concept from fiction to reality.
“It gives the
public a chance to experience what it’s like to ride in an automated vehicle and
to make their own mind up as to how much they like it, trust it and could accept
it as a service in the city.” — WR.
