FEATURE
UP LAUNCHES AFRICA’S FIRST ENGINEERING 4.0 FACILITY By Hlengiwe Mnguni
The University of Pretoria (UP) on 30 November officially opened its state-of-the-art Engineering 4.0 facility which focuses on research on smart transport, cities and infrastructure.
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he facility, which is situated on the Innovation Africa@ UP campus in Hillcrest, is the first of its kind in Africa. It is a result of collaboration he South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) – an entity of the Department of Science and Innovation – and York Timbers.
Prof Wynand Steyn, Head of the Department of Civil Engineering at UP, explained in a statement in November that by focusing on the development of integrated transportation and infrastructure systems, Engineering 4.0’s research will concentrate on the reduction of energy consumption in transportation, productivity maximisation in industry, and the creation of a higher quality of life for people.
“The research focuses on road construction, road use, traffic flow and smart transport systems, now and into the future. We are researching road construction materials, vehicle-pavement interaction issues, infrastructure materials and management, exhaust-related emissions, semi-autonomous and autonomous vehicles,” added Professor Steyn. Continued on Page 22
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