Clearly, when one computer goes down in Salt Lake City and it drags down America’s entire air traffic system, something needs to be done. At any rate, if you’re in the US and you have a flight to catch today, make sure to check its status before heading to the airport. [AP]

Yes, for a mere $US14,000 and a good bit of dignity, the Air Board will zip you along concrete, asphalt or grass at speeds of up to 24km/h on a 20cm buffer of air. Hovering over water, sand, stones or dirt-filled areas, however, is impossible due to the vacuum mechanism by which the Air Board hovers. Should probably scratch grass off the “can-hover” list then. That leaves you with drive ways and skate parks where you can be ridiculed by your own kids or someone else’s. The 5-litre gas capacity is only good for one hour of hovering, so it’ll all be over before you know it. Probably for the better. [Likecool]

In other words, AIDA is like your highway helper. A robot pal you can bond with on those long lonely trips. Kind of like a naggy, whiny version of Kitt.

To identify the set of goals the driver would like to achieve, AIDA analyses the driver’s mobility patterns, keeping track of common routes and destinations. AIDA draws on an understanding of the city beyond what can be seen through the windshield, incorporating real-time event information and knowledge of environmental conditions, as well as commercial activity, tourist attractions, and residential areas.

“When it merges knowledge about the city with an understanding of the driver’s priorities and needs, AIDA can make important inferences,” explains Assaf Biderman, associate director of the SENSEable City Lab. “Within a week AIDA will have figured out your home and work location. Soon afterwards the system will be able to direct you to your preferred grocery store, suggesting a route that avoids a street fair-induced traffic jam. On the way AIDA might recommend a stop to fill up your tank, upon noticing that you are getting low on gas,” says Biderman. “AIDA can also give you feedback on your driving, helping you achieve more energy efficiency and safer behaviour.”

Oh, and did I mention that it emotes with facial expressions? I have plenty of relatives that are perfectly willing to bitch about my driving as it is. On the other hand, maybe AIDA will qualify as an additional passenger on transit lanes — then maybe it can tag along.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — MIT researchers and designers are developing the Affective Intelligent Driving Agent (AIDA) – a new in-car personal robot that aims to change the way we interact with our car. The project is a collaboration between the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab, MIT’s SENSEable City Lab and the Volkswagen Group of America’s Electronics Research Lab.

“With the ubiquity of sensors and mobile computers, information about our surroundings is ever abundant. AIDA embodies a new effort to make sense of these great amounts of data, harnessing our personal electronic devices as tools for behavioral support,” comments professor Carlo Ratti, director of the SENSEable City Lab. “In developing AIDA we asked ourselves how we could design a system that would offer the same kind of guidance as an informed and friendly companion.”

AIDA communicates with the driver through a small robot embedded in the dashboard. “AIDA builds on our long experience in building sociable robots,” explains professor Cynthia Breazeal, director of the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab. “We are developing AIDA to read the driver’s mood from facial expression and other cues and respond in a socially appropriate and informative way.”

AIDA communicates in a very immediate way: with the seamlessness of a smile or the blink of an eye. Over time, the project envisions that a kind of symbiotic relationship develops between the driver and AIDA, whereby both parties learn from each other and establish an affective bond.

To identify the set of goals the driver would like to achieve, AIDA analyses the driver’s mobility patterns, keeping track of common routes and destinations. AIDA draws on an understanding of the city beyond what can be seen through the windshield, incorporating real-time event information and knowledge of environmental conditions, as well as commercial activity, tourist attractions, and residential areas.

“When it merges knowledge about the city with an understanding of the driver’s priorities and needs, AIDA can make important inferences,” explains Assaf Biderman, associate director of the SENSEable City Lab. “Within a week AIDA will have figured out your home and work location. Soon afterwards the system will be able to direct you to your preferred grocery store, suggesting a route that avoids a street fair-induced traffic jam. On the way AIDA might recommend a stop to fill up your tank, upon noticing that you are getting low on gas,” says Biderman. “AIDA can also give you feedback on your driving, helping you achieve more energy efficiency and safer behaviour.”

AIDA was developed in partnership with Audi, a premium brand of the Volkswagen Group, and the Volkswagen Group of America’s Electronics Research Lab. The AIDA team is directed by Professor Cynthia Breazeal, Carlo Ratti, and Assaf Biderman. The SENSEable City Lab team includes team leader Giusy di Lorenzo and includes Francisco Pereira, Fabio Pinelli, Pedro Correia, E Roon Kang, Jennifer Dunnam, and Shaocong Zhou. The Personal Robots Group’s technical and aesthetic team includes Mikey Siegel, Fardad Faridi and Ryan Wistort as well as videographers Paula Aguilera and Jonathan Williams. Chuhee Lee and Charles Lee represent the Volkswagen Group of America’s Electronics Research Lab.

[MIT]

The four-passenger personal rapid transport (PRT) vehicles shuttle people from Terminal 5 to one of the airport’s parking lots. It’s as easy as hopping in, entering your destination on the touchscreen and sitting back while the vehicle navigates specially constructed mini-roads at 40 kilometres an hour to your lot of choice.

If successful, the 18-car system will be expanded with nearly 10x the funding, allowing air travellers to reach local hotels without traditional taxis. And while it all sounds fine and dandy, we hear these automated Johnny Cab drivers can sorta be dicks.

[Mirror via Fast Company via BBG]

I mean come on. Facts are facts. Smaller footprint. Easier maneuverability in the tight spots. Folds down for easy storage in the closet when that hot date comes over for a digestif. Brisk 13 mph top speed. Completely portable. Battery powered. This is assuming, of course, you give two shits about the Segway to begin with.

Negatives? Balance issues abound, sure, but the designers can work those our with Woz’s money help, right?

Too bad it’s just a concept at the moment; a mere whiff of a hipster’s passing dream. This will change though. Segway culture demands it be so. [James Dyson Award via Design Blog]

Designed by a 24-year-old student from London, the bike’s claim to greatness is its ability to fold within the circumference of just one of its wheels. He claims he designed it because he “couldn’t find a folding bicycle I liked,” and he “wanted something that could take a bit of punishment and that you could have fun with.” I’m with him until the “take a bit of punishment” part, because this thing looks about as trailworthy as a lawn chair.

You might also notice that the pedals don’t seem to be connected to anything, and, well, you’d be right. As someone who’s watched this breakdown clip about 30 times, completely mesmerised, I’m going to say that’s a minor technicality. [Sky News]

When you buy a house, one of the first things you realise is how useful owning a truck can be. The Tow-n-Stow serves a similar purpose, but it appears to be manageable enough to be towed by a car. Plus, you don’t have to store it outside—just stand it up and use it as a storage unit in the garage. Taking all of the stuff off of it to convert it back into a trailer is probably a pain in the arse, but that’s a small price to pay for the versatility. However, I can’t say the same for the outrageous $US2495 price tag. [Tow-n-Stow via Red Ferret via Coolbuzz]

Other features include an EverClear No-Fog faceshield and an anti-scratch retractable SpeedView sun visor. Truth be told, this certainly isn’t the first modular helmet out there. However, at $US270-$280 the Scorpion would be far cheaper than something like BMW’s System 6—although the latter has advanced noise cancelling features and integrated Bluetooth. [Scorpion via Jalopnik]

The outside wheels have the ability to manoeuvre on a wide variety of surfaces and rotate independently of the board. The designers expect their wheel/board setup will give users the feeling of “pushing on a wave continuously”. Hopefully there are plans to manufacture the Loop-In soon, though I doubt it will be able to replicate the thrill of getting barreled. [Tuvie]

[Break]

Seriously, I can’t even imagine what this would do to a motorcyclist riding nearby. Of course, this isn’t the first time some jackass annoyed their neighbours with a mod like this.