Transportation

Engineering a Safer World…Holistically

by Nancy DuVergne Smith on May 28, 2012

in Engineering, Transportation

As innovations in software and technology make the world more complex, one MIT professor is focusing on the basics—safety.

STAMP is a holistic approach to engineering safety.

STAMP is a holistic approach to engineering safety.

Nancy Leveson, professor of aeronautics and astronautics and engineering systems at MIT, says that this increasing complexity makes systems more vulnerable to accidents. In addition, traditional engineering safety practices—such as checking individual components—won’t guarantee the safety of a complex system. All the parts must work together.

So Leveson and her students have developed a new, holistic approach to safety engineering. Their approach, dubbed STAMP for System-Theoretic Accident Model and Processes, addresses the impacts of human, social, economic, and governmental factors as well as the technical components.

The first applications were for aviation and transportation systems but it is now being used to address issues in nuclear power plants, occupational health, and medicine.

The system is holistic, according to her website, because of its comprehensive nature:

“Our techniques are based on a new system-theoretic model of accidents (STAMP) that replaces the traditional chain-of-events model underlying most current accident investigation, prevention, and assessment procedures. The model includes software, organizations, management, human decision-making, and migration of systems over time to states of heightened risk.”

The approach is gaining attention. The Federal Aviation Authority adopted the formal requirements specification for a real collision-avoidance system required on all commercial aircraft in U.S. airspace that she and her students developed. More than 250 safety engineering professionals from around the world came to campus for a three-day April workshop to learn about STAMP. The event also coincided with the publication of Leveson’s new book on the topic, titled Engineering a Safer World: Systems Thinking Applied to Safety.

Learn more about her work:

 

 

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The Other 2.007: Electric Vehicles, Not Robots [Video]

by Amy Marcott on May 16, 2012

in Classroom, Design, Engineering, Modern Geekhood, Student Life, Transportation

For a few years, the now-famous 2.007 robot contest has included an optional electric vechicle section for students who favored crafting an experimental ride to a robot. But this year, EVs got an official final event all their own, with two parts: a 50-meter drag race and a hill climb up a four-story parking garage.

Chibikart, designed by grad student Charles Guan '11.

Chibikart, designed by grad student Charles Guan '11.

Charles Guan ’11, a grad student in mechanical engineering, taught this special 2.007 EV section, which students affectionately named 2.00gokart.

Guan has made a name for himself lately on the Interwebs for video of his own three-week CAD-to-completion project, Chibikart, an “ultra-small four-hub motor drive go-kart designed to test out the ability of the 100mm size hub motors to move a person without assistance,” according to Guan’s blog, Equals Zero. Chibikart exceeded his expectations in efficiency and power use at speed, even when climbing the parking-garage course. It’s also his first use of 80/20 slotted framing which is very popular for prototyping machines quickly. Read his entries about building the machine, and watch it in action in the video below.

As for the 2.007 section Guan taught, he details the semester and the student projects on his blog. A123Systems donated batteries. Here are the rules, as Charles posts on his website. Read through his post for his analysis of what he’d do differently next time:

“You had to use 1 to 3 of the A123 12V7 bricks in your design, or else if you do want a custom battery solution a charger must be included in the budget. You got one 8″ pneumatic tire for free, choice between one with a sprocket, one with a belt pulley, and a ‘front’ wheel i.e. no  attached drive parts. You didn’t have to use it—this was a last minute pre-term rule change, because I was about to make everyone use an 8″ drive wheel. This was to encourage some more diversity in design…and in the end, I’m glad it happened. There were just some seriously creative efforts that would have been hampered by a wheel requirement. Major components, including motor, controller, frame materials, power transmission components, and any other vital parts (such as the deck, for the only skateboard-style project) must be under $300 not including shipping costs. Hardware and some small incidental metal stock was [sic] not included.”

The drag race was held in a relatively smoothly paved back alley under the Brain & Cognitive Sciences complex. Securing a parking garage for the hill climb was more challenging. But Guan and others convinced campus officials they had taken appropriate safety precautions for the narrow turns at the ends of the garage—by setting up literal safety nets—and MIT Parking and MIT Police closed off an entire parking facility on a Sunday for the event.

Check out the highlight footage below. Scooters averaged 9 to 11 seconds, and Melonkart hit an 8.28 second run. Instructors also got in on the fun. Chibikart managed an 8.26 second run. “The cool part about it,” say Guan on his blog, “is now that there exists an official activity safety process for this kind of event, we could throw a go-kart race almost whenever.”

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Two Grad Students Help Make a City Walkable

by Amy Marcott on April 30, 2012

in IAP, Student Life, Transportation, Travel

Guest blogger: Joseph Cutrufo, program coordinator, WalkBoston

Mariko Davidson at work on the Spicket River Greenway.

Mariko Davidson at work on the Spicket River Greenway.

This past January, two local nonprofit organizations enlisted the help of MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning graduate students Mariko Davidson and Jocelyn Drummond to work on a project aimed at making Lawrence, Massachusetts, more walkable. Davidson and Drummond, along with the pedestrian advocacy organizations WalkBoston and Groundwork Lawrence, which builds healthy communities through environmental and open-space improvements, developed a plan that addresses pedestrian safety issues and increases walkability around the Spicket River Greenway, which is currently under construction.

Lawrence was established as one of the earliest planned industrial cities in the mid-1800s with a thriving industry based on textile mills. Today, it is one of the poorest cities in Massachusetts and has the highest rate of obesity and diabetes in the Commonwealth. On the surface, the Spicket River Greenway is a recreational path where residents can walk, run or bike. But Davidson and Drummond learned that this particular greenway means so much more than that to Lawrence. In addition to creating a linear park, this three-mile long “emerald bracelet” connects a variety of open spaces and neighborhoods, helps the community achieve the dual goals of riverfront restoration and neighborhood revitalization, remediates a contaminated brownfield, and reduces chronic flooding. Now Groundwork Lawrence and WalkBoston are working to link this area’s schools and major employers to the new Greenway. Without sidewalks or crosswalks, it will be difficult and potentially dangerous for pedestrians to access the path.

Davidson and Drummond developed a plan that highlights safe pedestrian routes and proposes design solutions to connect people by foot from throughout Lawrence to the Greenway. This plan is a critical component in the partnership between WalkBoston and Groundwork Lawrence, and it will help direct future initiatives of the City of Lawrence’s Mayor’s Health Task Force.

After meeting with the WalkBoston and Groundwork Lawrence staff, they assessed the existing conditions of routes connecting schools and other key institutions, such as Lawrence General Hospital, with the Greenway. Then they identified problem areas—dangerous intersections and places where sidewalks are in disrepair—and mapped them. They also created a list of recommendations that will improve access to and from the Greenway.

Davidson and Drummond are also working on interpretive signage for the Greenway to enhance trail users’ experiences by telling stories about sites along the Greenway. They conducted research at the Lawrence History Center, combing through achives, newspaper articles, photos, postcards, and oral archives to develop signage that will be located at sites including the Arlington Mills and the former location of the Oxford Paper company.

Moving forward, the work Davidson and Drummond have produced will help guide WalkBoston’s work with Groundwork Lawrence in making Lawrence a more walkable, livable community.

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What If a Highway Ran Through the Infinite Corridor?

by Jay London on April 23, 2012

in Economics, In the News, Remember When..., Research, Transportation, Travel

The proposed route of Interstate 695. Photo: Cambridge Historical Society

As the United States’ most walkable city (not to mention the bikes), it’s difficult to envision an eight-lane highway running through Cambridge. But had some city planners and politicians gotten their way about 50 years ago, Interstate 695 would have created an inherently different Cambridge–and MIT campus–than what exists today.

Interstate 695, better known as the Inner Belt, was a planned highway that would begin at Route I-93 in Somerville, run though Cambridge in Central Square, Cambridgeport, and the outskirts of Kendall Square, and eventually connect with the Central Artery to encircle much of Greater Boston.

The Inner Belt was first proposed in 1948 as the post-World War II population left cities for the suburbs. To combat population outflow, city politicians sought highways to provide temporary construction jobs and long-term access to city businesses.

From Wicked Local Cambridge:

“The project would have displaced 1,541 households in Cambridge, 1,606 in Boston, 589 in Somerville, and 83 in Brookline. In Cambridge, it would have cut down Elm Street and Brookline Street before heading south over the Charles River.

In Cambridge, the city was divided. People who lived in the way of the proposed highway opposed the project, but the Planning Board, Harvard University, and MIT were all in favor, according to Tunney Lee, an MIT professor emeritus who provided technical assistance to the project’s opponents.”

Wicked Local also notes that a Cambridge City Council-proposed alternative included moving the highway southeastward, which MIT opposed for “national defense” reasons.

According to the Cambridge Historical Society, opposition to the highway began in Cambridge and united towns and neighborhoods throughout Greater Boston. In 1970, Massachusetts Governor Francis Sargent ’39 ordered a three-year review of the plan, which would produce the first Environmental Impact Study in the United States. Sargent officially rejected the Inner Belt in 1971 and, using part of the proposed funds for the highway, approved plans to extend the MBTA Red Line from Harvard Square to Alewife in 1973.

While the Inner Belt wouldn’t have made it as far as the Infinite Corridor, had it been built, modern-day Cambridge might be a radically different place. Would MIT and Harvard still be as successful as they are today? Can you imagine a Red Line that ends at Harvard Square? Let us know in the comments below or on Facebook.

For more information on the Inner Belt’s history, the Cambridge Historical Society is hosting “The Legacy of the Inner Belt,”part three of a three-part series, on Wednesday, April 25. Cambridge residents can also view past Inner Belt symposia on Cambridge Community Television.

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Is There Room In Your Garage For A Flying Car?

by Jay London on April 11, 2012

in Alumni Life, Design, Energy, Engineering, In the News, Modern Geekhood, Research, Transportation, Travel

Credit: Terrafugia

Are you thinking about purchasing the Transition® Roadable Aircraft, the two-seat flying car developed by a group of MIT alumni? If so, it’s important to remember one thing: retract the wings before pulling into the garage.

From The Associated Press via NPR:

Woburn, Mass.-based Terrafugia Inc. said (April 2) that its prototype flying car has completed its first flight, bringing the company closer to its goal of selling the flying car within the next year. The vehicle–dubbed the Transition–has two seats, four wheels and wings that fold up so that it can be driven like a car. Last month, it flew at 1,400 feet for eight minutes.

If you’re having visions of George Jetson, think again. The Transition lacks some amenities (no cup holders) and won’t help you avoid traffic–it needs a 1,700-foot runway to get off the ground. But it will give pilots the ability to use the same vehicle to fly in the air and drive on the road, potentially reducing the expensive costs and travel limitations that many personal aviation pilots face.


The Transition, which was introduced at the 2012 New York International Auto Show on April 5, currently retails at $279,000, reaches approximately 70 miles per hour on the road and 115 in the air, and runs off a 23-gallon tank of regular automotive fuel.

Terrafugia’s beginnings trace back to MIT. Co-founder and CEO Carl Dietrich ’99, SM ’03, PhD ’07 won the 2006 Lemelson Student Prize for Innovation for developing the Transition’s concept. Additional co-founders include Dietrich’s wife, Anna Mracek Dietrich ’04, SM ’06, the company’s COO and acting CFO; Samuel Schweighart SM ’01, PhD ’04; Alex B. Min ’91, MBA ‘07; and Arun Prakash MBA ’07. Roughly half of Terrafugia’s 20-person workforce is MIT alumni.

What’s your take? Is there a market for a flying car? Let us know on Facebook or in the comments section below.

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Was that a Woolworth’s We Just Passed? In Cambridge?

by Amy Marcott on March 21, 2012

in Campus Culture, Remember When..., Transportation

Take a trip down memory lane. In this video, “View from the Road,” you’ll see what campus, Cambridge, and Boston looked like during one day in 1958. No Big Dig!

Professor Kevin Lynch BCP ’47 produced this high-speed film as part of his studies into the theory of city form and of human perceptions of the city.

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Do Not Read This While Driving. In Fact, Don’t Even Think About It.

by Jay London on March 20, 2012

in Engineering, Health, In the News, Modern Geekhood, Research, Transportation, Travel

Photo: Fort Rucker, MIT AgeLab

Lawmakers met in Washington earlier this month to debate guidelines that limit driver distractions and simplify electronic devices installed in vehicles, but new research at MIT suggests that drivers don’t need to text, Tweet, or program a GPS to potentially cause havoc on the road.

A group led by MIT AgeLab research scientist Bryan Reimer found that a driver’s ability to focus on a surrounding environment varies depending on the “cognitive demand” of a non-driving activity. Essentially, if a driver’s mind is focused on a non-driving topic, be it an electronic device or an argument at home, the driver’s mind scans the surrounding area for potential hazards much less frequently.

Reimer told USA Today:

“In the past, the emphasis was on whether you’re distracted or not distracted. This is too simple of a categorization. There are levels of cognitive demand, and those levels are statistically distinguishable. The level of thought going on has a relationship to how much a driver is aware of the driving environment.”

The AgeLab research team studied 108 volunteers in ages ranging from 20 to 69 driving a midsize sport utility vehicle on Massachusetts’ Route 93 north. They were given three cognitive memory tasks of varying difficulty. The researched was published in Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society in February.

From Wired:

The AgeLab’s test car was fitted with sophisticated sensors that made it possible for researchers to analyze a driver’s cognitive load. Reimer envisions cars of the future equipped with similar technology that can instantly recognize when a driver is in over his or her head. If a car can sense that a driver is exhibiting “tunnel vision,” a car could cue the driver to end a hands-free phone call.

Part of the Engineering Systems Division, MIT AgeLab works to transform technologies into practical solutions that improve how products are designed and services are delivered. In addition to the driving study, the AgeLab has created AGNES (a suit that approximates the motor, visual, flexibility, dexterity, and strength of a person in their mid-70s); AwareCar (a vehicle that monitors driver state); Miss Daisy (a driving simulator used for evaluating cognitive distraction and the effects of disease and medication); and Miss Rosie (a Volkswagen Beetle that evaluates a driver’s capacity for vehicle operation), among others.

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IAP Externships: Learning What it Takes to Run a Transit Authority

by Amy Marcott on February 16, 2012

in IAP, Student Life, Transportation

This is part of a series of posts from MIT students and alumni who were involved in the 2012 Student/Alumni Externship Program, which connected current students to alumni in workplaces worldwide during MIT ‘s Independent Activities Period. Alumni, learn how to get involved.

Guest bloggers: Moji Jimoh ’12 and Christine Sowa  ’14
Host: Mark Magnussen SM ’67

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (or WMATA for short) prides itself on being “The Best Ride in America.” They are the organization responsible for the DC metropolitan transit system, which includes MetroRail, MetroBus, and MetroAccess (service for the people with disabilities). We have spent the past three weeks externing in Cheverly, Maryland, working with the Program Bus One Projects Office (PRGM), which handles the repair and maintenance of bus facilities. There are 11 facilities under their authority, located within and around the city. The PRGM handles numerous (over 70!) construction contracts to fix broken systems, upgrade personnel areas in facilities, install new systems, and more at the various sites. However, the most important fact about their work is that no facility is shut down while these projects are undertaken. And these are only the bus projects. A lot of diverse work goes into making the best ride in America.

Moji Jimoh '12 (left) and Christine Sowa '14 at their externship at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

Moji Jimoh '12 (left) and Christine Sowa '14 at their externship at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.

This program is managed by Roy Noyes, who was originally a nuclear engineer like our sponsor, Mark Magnussen SM ’67. The program has three different types of people: construction engineers, construction inspection facilitators, and inspectors. The construction engineers are assigned to a couple of facilities based essentially on geographical location and number of projects; however, there is some overlap as this system is in the process of changing. The construction engineers (CE) are in charge of identifying and writing up proposals of work that a facility may need and verifying that the construction designs, work plans, etc. that contractors have submitted are addressing the problems that were identified. Construction inspection facilitators (CIF) are also assigned to several work sites. The CIF’s job is to work with construction contractors to develop a construction schedule and with WMATA offices to get appropriate forms reviewed and approved for the scheduled work. Inspectors are assigned to a specific site and keep track of all the details of the construction projects there.

So what do we externs do? Well I’ve (Moji) attended preconstruction meetings for new projects, weekly safety meetings for projects in Maryland, Virginia, or DC, and construction site walk throughs. I’ve also helped to prepare estimates for new project proposals and worked with contractors to get more information for WMATA. While we’re based just outside DC, we travel with the CIFs and CEs to sites, driving rather than using the system because we may have a meeting in Virginia followed by a meeting in northern DC. Mostly we’ve gotten a glimpse of the work that’s done because there’s so much going on and some of it started long before we arrived or perhaps will start long after we leave, but it’s been a great four weeks interacting with the staff of the PRGM at WMATA. (I think WMATA loves acronyms more than MIT does!)

Every day is a new adventure at WMATA—so far, I’ve (Christine) been to three different bus facilities. Upon arrival, I tour the buildings and then sit in on preconstruction meetings for different projects. What shocks me the most is the seemingly mundane issues that come up in these meetings that are vital to the project. Things like the types of vests the construction workers wear wouldn’t even cross my mind, but to the federal government, they are extremely important.

So much work goes into a single project—from estimates and transmittals to safety meetings and federal funding. Externing at WMATA has given me a glimpse into the world of public transportation in one of the biggest cities in America.

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Folding Car to Transform Urban Driving…and Make Parallel Parking Obsolete

by Jay London on February 8, 2012

in Alumni Life, Design, Economics, Energy, Engineering, In the News, Modern Geekhood, Research, Transportation

Looking for a parking space in a major city can make public transportation very appealing. The biggest urban driving hassles usually come not with driving itself, but with the stopping, turning, parallel parking, and the can-I-fit-in-this-space challenges that arise when you’ve reached your destination.

Enter the Hiriko (the Basque word for “urban”), a new compact vehicle designed by the MIT Media Lab whose first fleet of 20 vehicles will debut in Vitoria Gasteiz, Spain, in 2013.

From the New York Times:

The pod-like electric vehicle, whose battery pack would be leased, is a two-seater with 4-wheel drive and a range in excess of 100 kilometers, or about 60 miles. Because its wheelbase can collapse, a single parking space can accommodate three vehicles. Driver and passenger enter through a windshield that swings upward.

Instead of a single electric engine, each wheel has an independent dedicated engine, which allows for an amazing degree in control in suspension, steering, and turning. Smaller than a Smart Car, the Hiriko spins and rotates on its axis, a technique that MIT researchers call an “O-turn.” It also moves sideways, making parallel parking obsolete.

Professor Kent Larson leads the car’s Media Lab researcher team. A production model was unveiled before the European Union Commission in Brussels last week. In addition to Spain, future trials are planned in Boston, San Francisco, Berlin, Hong Kong, and Malmo, Sweden. Similar to ZipCar in the United States, the cars will be shared by users who will have access for a few hours at a time. Cars may be sold to individuals in the future, with cost estimates currently ranging around $16,000.

In addition to the Hiriko, a Media Lab team led by doctoral candidates Ryan Chin and William Lark has also created a three-wheel electric vehicle prototype that can function as a bicycle and meets all European bike-lane regulations.

For more information and video on Hiriko (formerly the MIT CityCar), visit the “Changing Places” section on the Media Lab site.

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DIY IAP: Build an Electric Unicycle (Or Just Watch the Video)!

by Jay London on January 11, 2012

in Design, Engineering, IAP, In the News, Modern Geekhood, Research, Student Life, Transportation

Photo Credit: Stephan Boyer, Double Dispatch blog

Recent data shows that thousands of commuters in Boston-Cambridge area ride their bicycle to work, with ridership more the doubling since 2007. But unicycle ridership? Not current data exists.

Meet Stephan Boyer, a third-year student in the School of Engineering who has created The Bullet, a sort of unicycle-meets-Segway device that can hit 15 miles per hour and can travel for five miles on a single charge.

The Bullet, an electric unicycle with a safety kill switch, does some self-balancing, with components that help prevent the device from falling forward or backward (good luck if you’re falling left or right!). Boyer uses the Bullet to travel around campus, even relying on semantics to travel inside.

Boyer writes on his Double Dispatch blog:

“Bullet is the primary way I navigate MIT and the surrounding Cambridge area. I often zoom past students, faculty, custodians, and tourists, with generally positive reactions from everyone. I’ve been told one can be fined for riding a scooter in the Infinite Corridor. Fortunately, Bullet ain’t no scooter.”

Boyer currently has no plan to market the Bullet for commercial use, but estimates the device cost only a few hundred dollars to build. Boyer (and Slice) urges caution to any burgeoning uni-enthusiasts and likens navigating the Bullet to learning to ride a bike with no hands.

“Unfortunately, one cannot simply pick up a self-balancing unicycle and ride it with ease. It took me several hours to be able to ride in a straight line without crashing, and it took several days to learn how to turn in a controlled manner. Many of my friends have tried riding it, usually with little success (including some actual unicyclers).”

For more information on how the Bullet was assembled, including its kit list and software, and some helpful riding tips, visit Boyer’s Double Dispatch blog entry.

Editor’s note: In honor of MIT’s Independent Activities Period (IAP) in January, Slice is focusing on activities you can do yourself and on the experiences of students serving this month as externs with alumni in their workplaces. Stay tuned!

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