Throughout the past year there have been plenty of discussions about deliveries being made to households during the current Covid 19 pandemic crisis, ranging from booking a delivery slot from a supermarket to getting your favourite take away food.

Over the past 10 months, we at Bearingtech have reported on the emergence of drone and autonomous deliveries and the importance that drones and robots now play in everyone`s lives, ranging from park rangers, farmers, parcel services and medical suppliers.

The biggest concern for the majority of people is the contact element that is carried out when a delivery person turns up at your home, especially when we are being told by the government to avoid contact wherever possible to help remove the possibility of spreading the virus even further.

future sight on UK roads...

Well, how about if the deliveries could be made by an autonomous source, a robotic vehicle that could bring goods without the use of human contact?

Sounds a bit like science fiction, but in fact it is now available and up and running and hitting the roads. Kar –Go is a state of the art self-driving delivery robot that has been built by the Academy of Robotics who are a technology institute with an extraordinary team of engineers, researchers and scientists.

They specialize in creating technology to perform or simplify complex tasks by combining the best techniques from machine learning and mechatronics to building powerful self-adapting machines and task specific artificially intelligent software.

The car uses artificial intelligence and a specially developed management system to provide a contact free service.

The success of the invention shows how driverless vehicles could eventually become a common site on our roads and streets delivering parcels across the length and breadth of the country. The whole system is very similar to the autonomous bus and tram service currently being used in Germany and Holland, with parcels being substituted instead of passengers.

This however is not the first type of autonomous delivery service that has been put into practice, some drones have been carrying out automatic drop services for a number of years especially in hard to reach places such as the African plains and the outback`s of Australia where normal road deliveries can take days, sometimes weeks instead of hours.

Another delivery giant, Amazon also tried and tested a similar robotic road delivery service in America alongside their drone prime air service.

autonomous vehicle with safety driver backup

The Kar-Go vehicle will be able to drive itself to and from the senders delivery hub to the customers address and hand over the parcel automatically by using its on board robotics, without the need for human contact.

Thanks to its unique system, the electric vehicle is capable of delivering to city centres as well as rural and suburban locations.

It focuses on the small shoe-box size shaped parcels, where delivery costs can account for the third of the cost value, part-increasing pressure on margins for both retailers and logistic companies.

“Artificial Intelligence can be magical if used the right way”

With a capability of covering 60 miles, which is more than the average daily delivery round, when fully loaded on a single charge this autonomous robot could dramatically reduce the environmental impact that normal delivery vehicles have.

William Sachiti the founder of Academy of Robotics said,  "Kar-Go`s first deliveries represent a key milestone for the wider automotive industry. Alongside our partners at Eurovia UK we have been working closely with DFT`s  Centre for Concerned and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) and key London stakeholders.

"What makes it magical for me is that we applied AI and robotics in a useful and good way, the technology is there when it is needed and out of the way when it isn’t.

"The design has been developed as a green alternative to fossil fuel delivery vans, which will enable logistic companies and retailers to help keep delivery costs down, while providing a more convenient delivery experience”.

drone delivery in flight

After talking to a wide range of courier companies they all agreed that during the first lockdown, they were busier than ever, with some drivers expected to deliver up to 180 parcels a day, which is virtually impossible to maintain and causes considerable stress to the drivers concerned.

In a landmark first journey, the Kar-Go successfully transported medical supplies from a pharmacy to a care home in Hounslow Greater London without a hitch.

Although the delivery was autonomous, in accordance to current legislation there was a safety driver on board who could take control and take over at any time if the need arises, with an extra layer of safety provided by its nearby command hub centre, which ensures that safety is at the heart of everything we do.

Beginning with semi- autonomous deliveries, the level of autonomy will be gradually increased from the command hub, Academy of Robotics have instant secure access to remote monitoring and controlled supervision of the vehicle if it is in an autonomous mode.

future high-rise buildings with drone drop off chutes

On a final note, even Architects are now looking at different designs for autonomous deliveries in new buildings, with drone drop off rooftop chutes being introduced into building plans which take parcels directly to the customer.

Drones seem to be here to stay, and by the looks of things getting better everyday and enhancing the way we live, watch this space for future developments.

Once upon a time only Father Christmas came down the chimney, but not anymore. Looks like Rudolph and friends are surplus to requirements.

Now we get down to the rules that have to be followed so the wiring is done to meet the RCD requirements and recommendations.

cable insulation colours

Black cable may only be used for negative cables and the cable must be the same colour throughout its entire length – so if it is a negative it must be black all the way, not a red with a bit of black at each end

If the boat has a three-phase AC system (unusual with our boats but possible) the black is used for an AC live so yellow should be used for all the negatives not black.

Positive cable – a positive cable (battery volts) may be any colour except

• Black,
• Brown,
• Blue,
• Green,
• Green/yellow,
• If a 3 phase boat yellow because that will be negative.

recommendation or good practice

Red is used for all positives except switch positives i.e. the wires between two 2-way switches; the cable from the switch to an item (light, pump etc) should be a different colour to red. The means when testing if it is red it should be at battery volts, any other colour that is allowed to be a positive that will need a switch switched to be at battery volts.

back to the rules:

securing cables and what can run with what or not run with what

All cables should be secured every 300mm, unless they are supported in a conduit or ducting. Where there are only DC cable in the duct they do not need to be secured, if other cables are also in the duct, AC for example, secure every 300mm to keep the two cable types at least 100mm apart.

DC cables should not be run within 100mm of AC cables or gas pipes unless protected in a conduit. (Recommendation I tend to use split-corrugated conduit secured every 300mm to 1000mm) within the duct.

To make this clearer there are two situations

• A Gas Pipe in the picture

All cables closer than 100mm to a gas pipe have to be in conduits be they AC or DC.

• No Gas pipe in the picture

If AC and DC cables are closer than 100mm one of them has to be in conduit to separate them away from the others.

All cables should be protected anywhere they can be abraded by the vibration of the boat etc, This particularly means where the cable crosses an edge of metal or wood, even plastic, goes through a hole in a bulkhead (wall) be it wood or metal etc or where they cannot be secured at 300mm intervals, conduit must be used.

I think that is about it but anyone shout if I have missed anything

finally

You should now have all the information to purchase the cables you need with the terminations, the correct size of fuse/switch board and do the DC installation of the boat from the Batteries via fuse board to the electrical items.

in the appendix are

• How two 2-way switches can control things from two different positions.
• A copy of the full one page drawing of the Lighting circuits
• A copy of the full one page drawing of the Sockets etc.

Copies of the originals are available from me via the 12 Volt Boating Group 

The Rose of Hungerford is a traditional canal boat offering public trips and private charters, owned by the Kennet and Avon Canal Trust and run and maintained by fully-trained volunteer members of the Hungerford branch.

It was built by Peter Nicholls at Napton, Warwickshire, was launched at Great Bedwyn in 1982 and commissioned at Hungerford Wharf in 1983, now its home mooring.

It is 55’ (16.7m) long and 10’ 6” (3.2m) wide. Its original engine came from an ex-London taxi, then a Shire 40 engine was fitted in 1997 and lasted 20 years.

It is now powered by a Barrus Shire 50 Diesel engine (50bhp at 3000rpm), fitted in 2017.

The boat was named for John O’Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, third of the five sons of King Edward III who reached adulthood, who gave the Commoners of Hungerford fishing rights on the River Kennet (now strictly controlled). These rights were granted in addition to the grazing and hunting rights already received.

The red rose is the symbol of the House of Lancaster (the white rose is the symbol of the House of York), and since then has been a symbol of Hungerford. A red rose is presented to a reigning monarch whenever he or she visits the town.

The current Duke of Lancaster is Her Majesty the Queen. She travelled on The Rose when officially opening the restored Kennet and Avon Canal at Caen Hill, Devizes, on 8th August, 1990, 30 years ago. In 2013, The Kennet and Avon Canal Trust was honoured by Her Majesty, who awarded the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service, the MBE for voluntary groups. In 2014, The Princess Royal visited the Trust’s Headquarters in Devizes to present the Award.

During lockdown, the Rose has been treated to six new door panels, for the side and engine doors, beautifully painted with traditional roses by Bradford-on-Avon based signwriter, Ginny Barlow.

Further details of the crew and trips provided will be given in my next article for CanalsOnline magazine.

Iris Lloyd, Waterways chaplain (with thanks to Sarah Warburton, who provided the details given above and also took the photographs, except for the one of the Queen)

Fern Floating Fine Art is a nomadic arts illustration business, currently making its way around the inland waterways of Britain.

I live on, work in and sell from my little boat ‘Fern’. I am a painter of fauna and flora and resident artist at Fern Floating Fine Art. My work is influenced by folklore, superstition, fireside tales, canal and traveller traditions, the macabre, Victoriana, and I take constant inspiration from the seasons and the countryside around me.

I am fascinated by animals and their connection to the natural world. Their interdependence with the world around them, that as human beings I feel, we have now largely lost. I use my exploration of animals and the subsequent paintings as an attempt to reconnect with nature and the forgotten elements of our own culture. One way that I attempt to do this is by always painting the creature whilst we are making eye contact. In this moment I feel a special knowledge is passed between us. I use flowers as symbolic signposts to direct the meaning of the painting. Each flower is carefully chosen to represent and to compliment the birds status and the meaning of the work.

I like to separate my subjects from their everyday existence and instead venerate them to icon status by infusing them with vast amounts of symbolic flora. I pay no regard to accurate or relative proportion, instead preferring to use this to further separate the subject by using the flowers to create busy almost abstracted backgrounds. This technique and my use of colour is very much influenced by my traveller culture where almost everything is highly decorative. My paintings reflect rather than illustrate the stories that I come across through my travels.

As an artist my mission is to create a feeling of connection and guardianship towards our planet and the life it contains.

John creates our beautiful handmade wooden frames, using wood that we have found and reclaimed along our travels.

All of the work is professionally printed and comes either mounted ready for framing or framed in our handmade reclaimed wood frames.

Whenever I tell people that I live in Hungerford, home to about 6,000 inhabitants, their usual reaction is, “The scene of the massacre?” That tragedy, when 17 people were shot by a local young man, who then turned the gun on himself, was in 1987, over thirty years ago.

We tell people that Hungerford is more than the tragedy, although some who were personally affected still live here. Hungerford celebrates its antique shops, pubs, coffee bars and tearooms, an independent bookshop and butcher’s shop, a market every Wednesday morning, an annual December evening Extravaganza and the best Christmas lights you will see anywhere; they extend on both sides of the High Street for its entire length, on the trees and above the shops, with an extra large tree outside the Town Hall and another on the canal bank in the Wharf.

As well as a mayor and town council, Hungerford has a Town and Manor, presided over by a Constable, that has jurisdiction over the fisheries, marsh and common and owns the Town Hall and the John o’Gaunt public house. The name commemorates the third son of King Edward III who, in the fourteenth century, gave rights of fishing, grazing cows on the common and shooting (though no one does the latter any more) to the commoners, who retain the rights to this day.

Every Eastertide, we celebrate the ancient custom of Hocktide, the only town in Britain still to do so. 2020 has been the first time in its history that the celebration has had to be cancelled, because of the coronavirus.

So, next time you are in the area, after lockdown, do pop into The Tutti Pole tea room, which you will pass on your way from the towpath into the High Street, and then explore the rest of the town. You will be very welcome!