Wing inserts on Formula One racecar helps to provide faster racing speeds. The Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) initiated Formula SAE in 1979, a program in which students design, build, and race an open wheeled, single-seated racecar. Within the program Global Formula Racing (GFR) emerged in 2010, a team in which students from Germany and […]
Automotive/Transportation
Japanese man’s childhood dreams give birth to giant robot
(Reuters) – Like many Japanese, Kogoro Kurata grew up watching futuristic robots in movies and animation, wishing that he could bring them to life and pilot one himself. Unlike most other Japanese, he has actually done it. His 4-tonne, 4-meter (13 feet) tall Kuratas robot is a grey behemoth with a built-in pilot’s seat and […]
Electric Vehicle Maker to Open Chicago Plant
A company that makes commercial vehicles powered entirely by electricity for FedEx, Coca-Cola, DHL and other corporations is opening a manufacturing plant in Chicago. Smith Electric Vehicles Corp.’s new plant is expected to create hundreds of jobs and boost the city’s growing battery and electric vehicle sector. Mayor Rahm Emanuel welcomed the company’s decision and […]
Ah, that new car smell: NASA technology protects spacecraft from outgassed molecular contaminants
Outgassing — the physical process that creates that oh-so-alluring new car smell — isn’t healthy for humans and, as it turns out, not particularly wholesome for sensitive satellite instruments, either. But a team of NASA engineers has created a new way to protect those instruments from its ill effects. For some people, the best part […]
Toyota Recalls About 11,000 Scion iQ Vehicles
Toyota is recalling about 11,000 Scion iQ mini cars, because of a defect that could keep their air bags from deploying. The recall affects certain 2012 through 2013 model year iQs made between July 31, 2011 and Oct. 12, 2012, the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said. According to NHTSA, a certain cable could become […]
$4.5B and Manslaughter Charges in Gulf Spill Settlement
British oil giant BP said Thursday that it will pay $4.5 billion in a record settlement with the U.S. government over the massive 2010 oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and will plead guilty to felony counts related to the deaths of 11 workers and lying to Congress. President Barack Obama once called the […]
electronica 2012 Promotes Greater Connectivity, Immense Power
I’m at the midway point during my first trip to electronica and it has proven both awesome and challenging. Awesome in the number of new technologies that are on display; challenging in navigating a show that is so expansive. Awesome in how much I love Munich; and challenging (to my body) with the amount of […]
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Reports Profit Plunge
TOKYO, Nov. 14 (Kyodo) — Mitsubishi UFJ Finance Group Inc. said Wednesday its April-September group net profit plunged 58.3 percent from a year earlier to 290.48 billion yen as revenue decreased 11.7 percent to 2.36 trillion yen. Consolidated pretax profit in the first half of the year to next March 31 fell 40.5 percent to […]
Mazda Steps Up Overseas Operations After Ford’s Backing Pared
Mazda Motor Corp. will build compact cars for Toyota Motor Corp. at its new factory in Mexico in an apparent bid to further expand its overseas operations with Toyota’s help, after losing the backing of Ford Motor Co. of the United States. The two companies made an announcement about their first ever move for cooperation […]
Toyota Agrees to Settle U.S. Investor Lawsuit Over Massive Recall
NEW YORK, Nov. 14 (Kyodo) — Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it has agreed to settle a lawsuit with U.S. investors over massive recalls of its vehicles from late 2009 to 2010 due to acceleration problems, which caused its shares to plummet. The automaker will pay $25.5 million (about 2 billion yen) to settle the […]