via The Australian National University
Vehicles that can propel themselves along the water and self-navigate around any object in their path could soon be a reality thanks to new research from The Australian National University (ANU).
According to lead author, ANU physicist Associate Professor Hua Xia, the study builds on the “Magnus effect” – a force that acts on spinning objects.
“This force is widely used in sport, for example when tennis players use topspin or backspin to control the trajectory of the ball,” Associate Professor Xia said.
“The idea of the using this force to propel vehicles along the surface of the water was initially implemented in rotor-ships – where large rotors are mounted on the vessel and driven by the engine, pushing the ship perpendicular to the wind and acting as a kind of sail.
“But we were interested in what happens when there’s no wind.”
The research team studied the motion of fast-spinning disks on the water’s surface. They found when the disks reached a certain spin rate, they started self-propelling with acceleration.
“When the disk approaches a solid boundary, it stops accelerating and travels at a constant speed along the boundary of practically any shape, at a fixed distance from it,” Associate Professor Xia said.
“This opens the door for numerous applications, including autonomous water vehicles, marine robotics and to monitor hazardous environmental conditions.”
Original Article: SELF-PROPELLING SELF-NAVIGATING VEHICLES A STEP CLOSER
More from: Australian National University
The Latest Updates from Bing News & Google News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Self-propelled vehicles
- To Experience Pure Anxiety, Watch This Video of a Self-Driving Car Navigating India's Chaotic Traffic
We're willing to bet that you've never seen anything quite as anxiety-inducing as a recent video shared by Indian startup Swaayatt Robots, showing an extremely adventurous self-driving SUV ...
- Headed to Bloomsday 2024? Here's what you need to know
Streets on the Bloomsday course begin closing at 7:30 a.m. and reopen after the final walkers pass. This will be as early as 11:00 a.m. for Riverside west of Monroe, and as late as 2:00 p.m. for ...
- Army extends deadline for market feedback on AMPV full-rate production
With an original deadline of April 26, the Army issued a request for information on April 5 to assess “industry interest and current market manufacturing capability to produce future AMPV vehicles, ...
- Cathie Wood makes almost $100 million on battered tech stock
Famed money manager Cathie Wood is an unabashed admirer of Musk and his goal for a transformation to clean-energy cars from internal combustion engine, or ICE, vehicles.
- 1st self-driving car that 'lets you take your eyes off the road' goes on sale in the US — and it's not a Tesla
Mercedes-Benz has sold at least one of its new vehicles fitted with its Drive Pilot autonomous driving software, which lets you take your hands off the steering wheel and your eyes off the road.
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Self-propelled vehicles
[google_news title=”” keyword=”self-propelled vehicles” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Autonomous water vehicles
- To Experience Pure Anxiety, Watch This Video of a Self-Driving Car Navigating India's Chaotic Traffic
A video shared by the startup last month shows its sensor-laden vehicle "driving through an absolute chaos, on suburban unstructured roads in India," as the company put it in the caption. "This is the ...
- RICE develops new underwater robot with a buoyancy control system using fuel cells
Rice University students have made a breakthrough in underwater robotics by creating a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) that utilizes water-splitting fuel cells for buoyancy control. This innovative ...
- Underwater robot pioneers new energy-efficient buoyancy control
A remotely operated underwater robot built by a team of Rice University engineering students pioneers a new way to control buoyancy via water-splitting fuel cells. The device, designed and constructed ...
- We should not make the same mistake with autonomous driving as we did with electric vehicles
Let's propel the automotive industry into a future where autonomy is not just a possibility but a reality, Henrik Green writes.
- Abu Dhabi advances the future of coastal transportation with REGENT
ADIO to support the future expansion of REGENT seaglider development and manufacturing at Abu Dhabi’s Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industry (SAVI) cluster ...
Go deeper with Google Headlines on:
Autonomous water vehicles
[google_news title=”” keyword=”autonomous water vehicles” num_posts=”5″ blurb_length=”0″ show_thumb=”left”]
