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Homestead-Miami Speedway in Homestead, Fla., prepared this past week for a competition unlike any it has ever seen: the DARPA Robotics Challenge (DRC) Trials. Instead of dozens of state-of-the-art cars racing and maneuvering at blazing speeds and covering hundreds of miles, the DRC Trials puts slow prototype robots through a series of simple tasks such as opening doors or walking a short distance. The two-day event, which started today, aims to speed development of robots that could perform a number of critical real-world emergency-response tasks after future natural and man-made disasters.

“While a professional racetrack may appear at first to be an unusual site for an international robotics competition, it actually suits DARPA’s needs quite well,” said Gill Pratt, DARPA program manager. “The garages provide ready-made private spaces for each team to work, and open directly to the pit lane and infield where we have set up the tasks. Homestead in particular has the benefit of comfortable weather this time of year with little chance of precipitation—which is essential for the robots at this early stage in their development.”

The preparations to transform the racetrack from hosting NASCAR to next-generation disaster-response robots started 18 months ago, with the work kicking into highest gear the week before the competition. Nearly 250 DARPA staff members worked day and night, unloading trailers full of wood panels, valves, doors, stairs and even rubble to create the task apparatuses from scratch. The crews laid miles of fiber optic cable tying every garage to every task, which enabled each team’s operators to work remotely and test their robot’s ability to act autonomously.

Joining the DARPA staff were 16 of the 17 DRC teams—more than 400 people in all—complete with team trailers packed with equipment. The onsite DRC Exposition showcased 37 organizations’ technology related to disaster response, robotics and autonomy.

“The DRC Trials are one of the biggest robotics evaluations on Earth and dwarf many military robot tests, both in scale of ambition and the actual effort involved,” said Adam Jacoff, a robotics research engineer with the National Institutes of Standards and Technology (NIST) who led the design and development of the tasks. He noted that in addition to NIST, DARPA is collaborating with the Air Force Research Laboratory, U.S. Navy Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center Atlantic, and the Southwest Research Institute.

DARPA designed the tasks to simulate what a future robot might have to do to safely enter and effectively work inside a disaster zone. They will test the robots’ autonomous perception, autonomous decision-making, mounted and dismounted mobility, dexterity and strength. Each team will receive a score based on its performance, with all eight tasks carrying equal weight. Up to eight teams with the highest scores may continue to receive DARPA funding to prepare for the DRC Finals scheduled for late 2014.

“We’re here to help developers, show them what’s working in their systems and what’s not, and send them home with checklists of what they can work on for the Finals,” Jacoff said.

All tasks have three parts and progressively increase in complexity, Jacoff said. The tasks are meticulously designed to leverage standardized scientific test methods that NIST and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have developed for response robots. Following these methods aligns everyone’s expectations and efforts, he said, and enables teams to clearly determine whether their innovative ideas work.

This Press Release is courtesy of http://www.darpa.mil/

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) are releasing the 2014 Fuel Economy Guide, providing consumers with a valuable resource to identify and choose the most fuel efficient and low greenhouse gas emitting vehicles that meet their needs. The 2014 models include efficient and low-emission vehicles in a variety of classes and sizes, ensuring a wide variety of choices available for consumers.

“For American families, the financial and environmental bottom line are high priorities when shopping for a new vehicle,” said Administrator Gina McCarthy. “This year’s guide is not just about how the latest models stack up against each other; it’s about providing people the best information possible to make smart decisions affecting their pocketbooks and the planet.”

“The Energy Department is committed to building a strong 21st century transportation sector that cuts harmful pollution, saves consumers money and leads to a more sustainable energy future,” said Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz. “By providing reliable, user-friendly fuel economy information, the Fuel Economy Guide is helping Americans choose the right fuel efficient vehicle for their family and business and save money at the pump.”

The guide provides “Top Ten” lists allowing consumers to see the most efficient advanced technology vehicles as well as the most efficient gasoline and diesel powered vehicles. Consumers will also find a broad range of information in the guide that can be helpful while shopping for a new vehicle— including an estimated annual fuel cost for each vehicle. The estimate is based on the vehicle’s miles per gallon (mpg) rating and national estimates for annual mileage and fuel prices. An online version of the guide, available through www.fueleconomy.gov, allows consumers to enter local gasoline prices and typical driving habits to receive a personalized fuel cost estimate. Also, for the second consecutive year, the guide includes a 1-10 greenhouse gas rating for each model, providing a quick and easy way for consumers to identify vehicles with low greenhouse gas emissions.

EPA fuel economy estimates are the best way to compare the fuel economy among vehicles. Official fuel economy testing is controlled, repeatable, and accounts for a variety of real-world conditions for the average driver, like air conditioning usage and a variety of speed and temperature conditions. Individual mileage will vary depending on factors such as driving style, high air conditioning usage, carrying extra weight and towing, and weather.

This Press Release is courtesy of www.energy.gov

Battery Council International (North America) and EUROBAT (Europe, Middle East and Africa – EMEA) announced today the update of their voluntary blood lead mitigation programs for employees of all their member companies, representing 90% of lead-based battery production in North America and EMEA. The members of both associations have today committed to reduce blood lead levels for all employees below 30 micrograms per deciliter (µg/dl) by the end of 2016.

“This is well below the limits set by current European Union and U.S. legislation and shows that the battery industry is serious about continuously improving the protection of its workers. It also shows that industry can take its fair share of responsibility and ensure the controlled conditions of work on its own.” said Alfons Westgeest, Executive Director of EUROBAT.

“In the USA we embarked on a voluntary compliance program 20 years ago and have enjoyed a great deal of success. Europe adopted its own program in 2001. Today we’re going a step further by adopting the same objectives to ensure the same level of protection of workers on both sides of the Atlantic”, said Mark O. Thorsby, Executive Vice-President of Battery Council International.

In 2012, among the members of BCI and EUROBAT, there were approximately 17,000 employees under medical surveillance for blood lead levels in the United States, 11,250 in the European Union and 1,700 in the rest of Europe, Middle East and Africa. The new objectives for blood lead level reduction of both associations will apply to all these employees.

The United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration require that employees of lead-based battery manufacturing companies be removed from their jobs if their blood lead levels exceed 50 µg/dl. The BCI’s current voluntary removal level of employees is 40µg/dl and today’s announcement will lower that level to 30µg/dl at the end of 2016.

The European Union’s binding Biological Limit Value for Lead in Blood is 70µg/dl, while the Derived-No-Effect Level set by industry under the EU’s REACH legislation is of 40µg/dl. In the rest of Europe, the Middle East and Africa limits can vary per country. With today’s announcement, EUROBAT members commit to go well below this latter limit in the European Union by the end of 2016, as well as in all EMEA.

The major step today in improving the protection of workers is made possible by evolutions in technology, manufacturing processes and education efforts towards employees and the industry in general. “Beyond the commitment toward our employees, it is worth mentioning that lead is one of the most controlled substances in the world. Both in the United States and in Europe more than 95% of lead-based batteries are recycled to produce new batteries, placing them among the most recycled articles in the world. This is a key step to avoiding releases of substances into the environment and also contributes to a closed-loop economy and lowers the requirements for raw materials” stated Thorsby.

“In addition to that, lead-based batteries also play a great role in mitigating CO2 emissions from transport. Already today 75% of new cars in Europe are equipped with (lead-based) start-stop technology, resulting in major fuel savings – which is good for consumers – and thus in lower CO2 emissions, which is good for the environment” added Westgeest.

Courtesy of Battery Council International

Scientists at the Chemicals and Science Fair in Sacramento, California have reported a discovery of new characteristics of hydrocarbons. This will go a long a long to reduce carbon emissions from petro-chemicals usage and impact the auto industry as well.