Arias Pistons 12.5:1 Compression 82mm Bore Honda B-series on 2040-parts.com

Four CCS students win awards in 22nd annual Michelin/CCS competition

Michelin and the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit, Michigan recently held their 22nd Annual College for Creative Studies Design Competition at the A. Alfred Taubman Center for Design Education. Four CCS transportation students are receiving the exhibition opportunity of a lifetime when their winning designs are displayed in a special Michelin exhibit at the 2011 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) January 10-23, 2011.

MIT develops self-transforming materials that behave 'like robots without robots'

A cross-disciplinary research lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a suite of programmable materials, including carbon fiber, printed wood grain, textile composites, rubbers and plastics, that self-transform when exposed to an external stimulus. Director of the Self-Assembly Lab, Skylar Tibbits, presented a TED talk on 4D printing in 2013, where he demonstrated how a flat sheet of material could effectively build itself when exposed to water, like a robot without a robot. Following positive feedback from industries including aviation, automotive and manufacturing, his lab has been working on developing materials that change according to different activation sources, including heat, light, and air pressure, in addition to water – all of which have automotive relevance.

Aston Martin configurator for the Cygnet and the Virage hits the Web

The few times a year that Aston Martin graces AutoWeek with a press car, our joy is short-lived. There's never enough seat time to go around. Luckily, we can all dream together with the new Aston Martin configurator at the company's Web site, www.astonmartin.com.