Important Innovations

New Driverless Car Tech Source:  Mercedes Self-Driving Car Concept Big Energy Efficiencies and Travel Time Savings Engineers at the University of Delaware, in collaboration with Boston University, have developed a new technology system for driverless cars that could make traffic lights and speeding tickets obsolete. The researchers used control theory to develop algorithms to control and minimize energy consumption in autonomous cars crossing city intersections with no traffic lights.  That's just the start. Energy Efficient Mobility Systems They used the software to simulate results.  The system enables the cars to conserve fuel and momentum while cutting travel time to their destinations.  The engineers are developing solutions that could enable the future of energy efficient mobility systems. Results and Potential The results have been published in the journal Automatica.  The team has created innovative tech to yield optimal acceleration and ...

Low Cost, Smart E-Glass University of  Delaware researchers, led by Associate Professor Keith Goossen,  have developed low-cost, glass panels that selectively allow and block light.  This paves the way for eco-friendly, smart windows that reflect heat in the summer and absorb heat in the winter. Simple, Brilliant Idea The idea behind the smart glass is simple.  It has two sheets of plastic separated by a thin cavity.  Tiny, cube-shaped structures are in the plastic.  They make light bounce back to its source.  The other chamber between the plastics is filled with methyl salicylate, an inexpensive wintergreen extract that is also used in over-the-counter pain-killers. This liquid has optical properties that match the optical properties of retroreflective plastic.  When combined the light can pass through and the system becomes transparent. Smart Glass, Smart Windows, Smart House, E-Friendly The smart glass system can switch from transpar...