Topic Review
Automatic Wheelchairs
Automatic wheelchairs refers to devices equipped with wheelchairs, which can move automatically. Automatic wheelchairs have evolved in terms of instrumentation and control, improving the mobility of people with physical disabilities. The different wheelchair control techniques are divided into two categories: sensor technology non-invasively placed on the user and wheelchair instrumentation.
  • 1.2K
  • 26 Nov 2020
Topic Review
Electric Cars in Brazil
Brazil has been successful to reduce its carbon footprint using biofuels, but it is facing a dilemma in vehicle electrification. It cannot shift abruptly to battery electric vehicles, as current consumers are unable to afford them and investment in recharging infrastructure is uncertain. However, it has a significant manufacturing base, and it cannot isolate itself from global industrial trends. The emergence of a dominant design (set of core technologies defining a product category and adopted by the majority of players in the market) in small and affordable segments is essential for the diffusion of electric cars in developing countries. Biofuel hybrid technologies may support the transition. The Brazilian industry can engage in electric vehicle development by designing small cars based on global architectures, targeting consumers in emerging markets. 
  • 1.1K
  • 27 May 2022
Topic Review
Time-of-day Traffic Signal Control
Improperly scheduled signal timing plans are one of the main reasons for reduced efficiency of traffic signals at coordinated urban arterials. Time-of-day (TOD) traffic signal control is based on the principle where multiple TOD signal timing plans (STPs) are scheduled to operate during the day. TOD plans are characterized by a unique cycle length that is highly correlated with traffic volumes. The determination of characteristic periods during the day where certain signal timing plans should operate was primarily done using the 24 h volume plots from single intersection and engineering judgments. In cases where data availability is higher, the analytical methods that serve for the determination of robust TOD breakpoints were not in place.
  • 1.1K
  • 27 Jun 2022
Topic Review
Design of Sustainable Flexible Pavement
The conventional methodologies for the design of flexible pavements are not adequate in providing solutions that meet the diverse sustainability challenges. Therefore, developing new methodologies and frameworks for the design of flexible pavement has become a priority for most highway agencies. On the other hand, there is no sound sustainable flexible pavement framework at the design phase that considers the key engineering performance, environmental impact, and economic benefits of sustainability metrics. Hence, premature failure of flexible pavements has become a common problem leading to a growing demand for sustainable pavement. Pavement engineers need to have access to tools that permit them to design flexible pavements capable of providing sustainable solutions under various complex scenarios and uncertainties.
  • 1.1K
  • 10 Jan 2022
Topic Review
Fatigue and Aviation Safety
Fatigue has been identified as a safety hazard that has the potential to reduce the optimal performance required of aviation professionals such as pilots. Fatigue as a construct is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO, Montreal, QC, Canada) as a “reduction of mental state or physical performance that results from sleep loss, extended wakefulness, an excessive workload, and or poor lifestyle choices”.
  • 1.0K
  • 15 Jul 2022
Topic Review
Highway-rail grade crossing (HRGC) accidents
Highway-rail grade crossing (HRGC) accidents pose a serious risk of safety to highway users, including pedestrians trying to cross HRGCs. A significant increase in the number of HRGC accidents globally calls for greater research efforts, which are not limited to the analysis of accidents at HRGCs but also understanding user perception, driver behavior, potential conflicting areas at crossings, effectiveness of countermeasures and user perception towards them. HRGC safety is one of the priority areas in the State of Florida, since the state HRGCs experienced a total of 429 injuries and 146 fatalities between 2010 and 2019 with a significant increase in HRGC accidents over the last years.
  • 1.0K
  • 15 Aug 2021
Topic Review
Selection of Strategic Projects
Strategic projects are large scale, complex, and require significant investments and resources. These projects aim at gaining long-term social and economic benefits. Therefore, organizations focusing on strategic projects should use a consistent approach that suits their strategy, capability, and long-term expectations.
  • 1.0K
  • 27 Oct 2020
Topic Review
Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices
The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (usually referred to as the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, abbreviated MUTCD) is a document issued by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) to specify the standards by which traffic signs, road surface markings, and signals are designed, installed, and used. These specifications include the shapes, colors, and fonts used in road markings and signs. In the United States , all traffic control devices must legally conform to these standards. The manual is used by state and local agencies as well as private construction firms to ensure that the traffic control devices they use conform to the national standard. While some state agencies have developed their own sets of standards, including their own MUTCDs, these must substantially conform to the federal MUTCD. The National Committee on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (NCUTCD) advises the FHWA on additions, revisions, and changes to the MUTCD. The United States is among the many countries that have not ratified the Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals. The first edition of the MUTCD was published in 1935, 33 years before the Vienna Convention was signed in 1968. The MUTCD differs significantly from the European-influenced Vienna Convention, and an attempt to adopt several of the Vienna Convention's standards during the 1970s led to confusion among many American drivers.
  • 998
  • 10 Oct 2022
Topic Review
Advanced Combustion for Improving Thermal Efficiency
Improving thermal efficiency and reducing carbon emissions are the permanent themes for internal combustion (IC) engines. Improving thermal efficiency and reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions motivate the technological progress of the automobile and engine industry.
  • 991
  • 14 Sep 2022
Topic Review
Opto-physiological monitoring
Opto-physiological monitoring (OPM) considers biological tissue  as a set of optical media, study how light interacts within biological tissue, where the optical properties of the latter reflect the mechanical, physical and biochemical functions of the living organism. OPM includes optoelectronic sensor based contact monitoring and image sensor based remote monitoring.
  • 989
  • 27 Oct 2020
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