Ground Effect Aero Trains

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IEEE Spectrum - A ground-effect vehicle takes advantage of this fast-moving air and uses some stubby little wings to fly just above the ground, like a maglev without the mag. This is a tricky thing to do, since you have to control the vehicle more like an airplane than a train, meaning that you have to deal with pitch, roll, and yaw and not just the throttle. A Japanese research group led by Yusuke Sugahara at Tohoku University has built robotic prototype of a free flying ground-effect vehicle that they're using to test an autonomous three axis stabilization system.

Japanese language aerotrain site Tohoku University


The researchers are looking to use this robot to generate a dynamic model of how vehicles like these operate, which they hope to apply to a manned experimental prototype train that can travel at 200 kilometers per hour in a U-shaped concrete channel that keeps it from careening out of control.

Step 1 (ART001) -
maximum speed of experiments car towed Press 100km / h flying a successful run. It may be bound by truck to change in position over a certain practice session for persons with disabilities can also do driving test emerged as a critical condition, and flight attitude are suitable for running floating stability for driving independence collected valuable data or different.

Semi-autonomous steps 1-2 in the emerging practice run successfully mounted on the thrust surface in the model itself.

Maximum speed in steps 1-3
80km / h to be successful in flying in a state run completely independently.

Step 2 (ART002) In this model, the collector and those using motorized with battery research for motorized forms. Furthermore, the ART002 improved, achieving a manned flight seat.

In the future, NEDO ART003 research and develop projects. Currently, we consider the placement of biplane types. ART003 This provides maximum speed in two passengers 200km / h driving aim of flying.

Translation of part of the Tohoku University Aerotrain project

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