An Associated Press story says that the Japanese government has set up a panel with automakers to study the idea of adding sound to hybrid vehicles to make them noisier — and therefore, safer – for blind pedestrians. Proposed sounds include artificial engine noises, music, or even ring tones, like those used in cell phones.
The AP story said that the government set up the panel in response to concerns from The Japan Federation of the Blind. An informal survey of 52 blind people carried out by the group revealed that more than half the respondents were “terrified” of hybrids.
A Japanese newspaper reported Tuesday that the sounds may be available on Toyota cars sold in 2010, possibly in conjunction with radar technology to sense nearby pedestrians and activate the noise when necessary.
In the wake of the Chevy Volt fire investigations, sales are down, and General Motors' (GM) CEO Dan Akerson is blaming the downturn on a spate of bad publicity.
Smith Electric Vehicles teamed with Trans Tech Bus to roll out a 42-passenger, 26,000-lb electric bus called the Newton eTrans, which it hopes will change the way children get to school every morning.
If you're a prospective Volt owner who wants to load your lithium-ion battery with renewable energy electrons, Chevrolet says it has found a way to help you.
Thanks to embedded electronics, medical devices are getting smaller and smarter than ever. Pacemakers and implantable defibrillators are now able to call physicians. MRIs, CT scanners, and ultrasound machines are gaining mobility. And the venerable Band-Aid may soon be able to detect illnesses ranging from fevers to heart arrhythmias. On February 21, join Design News senior editor Charles Murray for a wide-ranging discussion, "Embedded Angles for Medical Products," which will explore the latest developments in medical electronics. The discussion will examine advances in medical device technology and offer an inside look at the embedded electronics behind it.
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