Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide for stopping a vehicle to pick up or drop off a passenger at a location. An example methods includes maneuvering a vehicle towards the location. An amount of time for the passenger to enter or exit a vehicle is estimated. Once the vehicle is a predetermine distance from the location, a set of possible places to stop the vehicle are determined. For each place of the set of possible places, a corresponding threshold value is determined. For each place of the set of possible places, the estimated amount of time is compared to the corresponding threshold value. A particular one of the set of possible places is identified based on the comparisons and the vehicle at the particular one to allow the passenger to enter or exit the vehicle.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to context aware stopping of a vehicle without a driver. As an example, after a passenger has entered the vehicle, the vehicle is maneuvered by one or more processors in an autonomous driving mode towards a destination location along a route. The route is divided into two or more stages. A signal is received by the one or more processors. The signal indicates that the passenger is requesting that the vehicle stop or pull over. In response to the signal, the one or more processors determine a current stage of the route based on a current distance of the vehicle from a pickup location where the passenger entered the vehicle or a current distance of the vehicle from the destination location. The one or more processors then stop the vehicle in accordance with the determined current stage.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide systems and methods for confirming the identity of a passenger and changing destination of a vehicle. This may include receiving dispatching instructions to pick up a first passenger at a pickup location and to drop off the first passenger at a first destination as well as authentication information for authenticating a first client computing device of the first passenger. Once the client device is authenticated and a second passenger enters the vehicle, the vehicle is maneuvered towards the first destination. While doing so, a location of the vehicle is compared to location information received from the client computing devices. A notification is sent to a dispatching server based on the comparison and a second destination location is received in response. The vehicle is then maneuvered towards the second destination instead of the first destination.

Abstract: Aspects of the disclosure provide systems and methods for recognizing an assigned passenger. For instance, dispatching instructions to pick up a passenger at a pickup location are received. The instructions include authentication information for authenticating a client computing device associated with the passenger. A vehicle is maneuvered in an autonomous driving mode towards the pickup location. The client device is then authenticated. After authentication, a set of pedestrians within a predetermined distance of the vehicle are identified from sensor information generated by a sensor of the vehicle and location information is received over a period of time from the client device. The received location information is used to estimate a velocity of the passenger. This estimated velocity is used to identify a subset of set of pedestrians that is likely to be the passenger. The vehicle is stopped to allow the passenger to enter the vehicle based on the subset.

Abstract: The technology relates to actively looking for an assigned passenger prior to a vehicle reaching a pickup location. For instance, information identifying the pickup location and client device information for authenticating the assigned passenger is received. Sensor data is received from a perception system of the vehicle identifying objects in an environment of the vehicle. When the vehicle is within a predetermined distance of the pickup location, authenticating a client device using the client device information is attempted. When the client device has been authenticated, the sensor data is used to determine whether a pedestrian is within a first threshold distance of the vehicle. When a pedestrian is determined to be within the first threshold distance of the vehicle, the vehicle is stopped prior to reaching the pickup location, to wait for the pedestrian within the first threshold distance of the vehicle to enter the vehicle.

Abstract: Automated package deliveries comprises a delivery drone that executes a method to receive, from a package delivery system computing device, information associated with a kiosk location for delivery of a package, the information comprising an identification of the package. The delivery device secures the package for transporting to the delivery location and transports the package to the kiosk location. The delivery device establishes a communication with the kiosk and verifies that the kiosk is associated with the identification of the package. The delivery device receives instructions from the kiosk for depositing the package in a bay of the kiosk and deposits the package in the bay of the kiosk. The kiosk receives the package from the aerial delivery device and transports the package to a package bin. The kiosk receives an input of a user authentication from the user and provides access to the package bin to the user.

Abstract: A centralized system manages application configuration parameters in a network computing environment. The system centralizes the storage and management of application configuration parameters, and dynamically updates the networked application servers when parameter values are changed at the centralized system. The application servers can subscribe to and receive parameter updates from the centralized system, determine whether the updates are applicable to configuration parameters being used by the application, and implement any such updates. In some embodiments, the centralized system determines which application servers are affected by a particular parameter update, and only transmits data regarding the parameter update to the affected application servers.

Abstract: A method for modifying a solar thermal power plant operating on conventional oil based technology into a hybrid solar thermal power plant includes: providing an oil-based solar thermal power plant, which includes a solar collection system with at least one radiation absorber tube containing a heat transfer oil to be heated by the solar collection system; providing a molten salts solar thermal power plant, which includes a solar collection system to heat a molten salts mixture; and coupling the respective plants such that the hybrid solar thermal power plant is configured to heat medium temperature steam generated by the oil based solar power plant by the molten salts mixture thereby producing high temperature steam and subsequently supplying it to a steam turbine to generate electricity.

Abstract: The invention relates to an energy conversion and storage system and a method wherein a battery catholyte composition (e.g., following or during a discharge process) is decomposed by heating to produce a decomposed catholyte and separate an anolyte component therefrom, thereby enabling use of the anolyte component and a remainder of the decomposed catholyte in anodic and cathodic half-cells of an electrochemical energy storage device.

Abstract: Method for modifying a solar thermal power plant operating on conventional oil based technology into a hybrid solar thermal power plant, wherein the method comprises: providing an oil based solar thermal power plant comprising a solar collection system with at least one radiation absorber tube containing a heat transfer oil to be heated by means of the solar collection system, providing an molten salts solar thermal power plant, wherein the molten salts solar thermal power plant comprises a solar collection system to heat a molten salts mixture coupling of the respective plants such that the hybrid solar thermal power plant is configured to heat medium temperature steam that is generated by the oil based solar power plant by means of the molten salts mixture thereby producing high temperature steam and subsequently supplying it to a steam turbine to generate electricity.

Abstract: A security system assesses the response time to requests for information to determine whether the responding system is in physical proximity to the requesting system. Generally, physical proximity corresponds to temporal proximity. If the response time indicates a substantial or abnormal lag between request and response, the system assumes that the lag is caused by the request and response having to travel a substantial or abnormal physical distance, or caused by the request being processed to generate a response, rather than being answered by an existing response in the physical possession of a user. If a substantial or abnormal lag is detected, for example due to the fact that the information was downloaded from the Internet, the system is configured to limit subsequent access to protected material by the current user, and/or to notify security personnel of the abnormal response lag.

Abstract: A plastic at least partially transparent container holds water with a luminary floating on the water. The water closes a circuit causing the luminary to light up.

Abstract: A system and method includes timing parameters within a node-verification protocol, such as OCPS, to facilitate a determination of the proximity of a target node to a source node. The node-verification protocol includes a query-response sequence, wherein the source node communicates a query to the target node, and the target node communicates a corresponding response to the source node. The source node establishes a lower bound on the distance between the source node and the target node based on a measure of the time required to effect this query-response sequence. The time required to effect this sequence includes the time required to communicate the query and response, as well as the time required to process the query and generate the response. The target node includes a measure of the time required to process the query and generate the response to the source node. The source node subtracts this time from the total query-response time to determine the time consumed for the communication.

Abstract: A security system assesses the response time to requests for information to determine whether the responding system is in physical proximity to the requesting system. Generally, physical proximity corresponds to temporal proximity. If the response time indicates a substantial or abnormal lag between request and response, the system assumes that the lag is caused by the request and response having to travel a substantial or abnormal physical distance, or caused by the request being processed to generate a response, rather than being answered by an existing response in the physical possession of a user. If a substantial or abnormal lag is detected, the system is configured to limit subsequent access to protected material by the current user, and/or to notify security personnel of the abnormal response lag.

Abstract: A method of determining proximity between a root node and a leaf node in a network is presented. The method comprises computing a link proximity value between any two mutually connected nodes in the network. At an initial node, a proximity computation request message is sent containing a proximity counter to an intermediate node to which the initial node is connected. At an intermediate node, being connected to a first node and to a second node, upon receipt of the proximity computation request message containing a proximity counter from the first node, the computed link is added to a proximity value and passed on the proximity computation request message to the second node. At a final node, upon receipt of the proximity computation request message, the proximity between the root node and the leaf node is determined as the value indicated by the proximity counter.

Abstract: A system and method determines the proximity of the target node to the source node from the time required to communicate messages within the node-verification protocol. The node-verification protocol includes a query-response sequence, wherein the source node communicates a query to the target node, and the target node communicates a corresponding response to the source node. The target node is configured to communicate two responses to the query: a first response that is transmitted immediately upon receipt of the query, and a second response based on the contents of the query. The communication time is determined based on the time duration between the transmission of the query and receipt of the first response at the source node and the second response is compared for correspondence to the query, to verify the authenticity of the target node.

Abstract: The present invention provides a novel solar steam generator comprising solar steam boiler compartment carrying water surrounding an internal superheater compartment. The boiler compartment is exposed to a first concentrated solar radiation. The boiler compartment is configured and operable to heat water to saturated temperatures and generate saturated steam. The boiler compartment operates as an integrated cavity enclosing the superheater compartment, reducing the thermal losses of the superheater compartment to the outside environment and absorbs most of the thermal losses of the superheater compartment. The internal superheater compartment is exposed to a second concentrated solar radiation and is configured and operable to superheat the saturated steam generated in the boiler compartment. The boiler compartment and the superheater compartment are thus arranged one with respect to the other such that the boiler compartment surrounds the internal superheater compartment.

Abstract: A catalyst system including at least one metal and an oxide support, said oxide support including at least one of Al2O3, MnxOy, MgO, ZrO2, and La2O3, or any mixtures thereof; said catalyst being suitable for catalyzing at least one reaction under supercritical water conditions is disclosed. Additionally, a system for producing a high-pressure product gas under super-critical water conditions is provided. The system includes a pressure reactor accommodating a feed mixture of water and organic matter; a solar radiation concentrating system heating the pressure reactor and elevating the temperature and the pressure of the mixture to about the water critical temperature point and pressure point or higher. The reactor is configured and operable to enable a supercritical water process of the mixture to occur therein for conversion of the organic matter and producing a high-pressure product fuel gas.

Abstract: Authentication information (125) obtained by a device (100) at one level of a transformation sequence is securely communicated to another device (200) at another level of the transformation sequence. To assure that the communicated authentication information (125) is not merely a copy of previously communicated authentication information, each communication (145) includes an item (255) that the receiving device (200) can verify as having been recently generated.

Abstract: A security system assesses the response time to requests for information to determine whether the responding system is in physical proximity to the requesting system. Generally, physical proximity corresponds to temporal proximity. If the response time indicates a substantial or abnormal lag between request and response, the system assumes that the lag is caused by the request and response having to travel a substantial or abnormal physical distance, or caused by the request being processed to generate a response, rather than being answered by an existing response in the physical possession of a user. If a substantial or abnormal lag is detected, the system is configured to limit subsequent access to protected material by the current user, and/or to notify security personnel of the abnormal response lag.