Carbon Fiber Ultra - Lite Volts Gauge. on 2040-parts.com

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.

Webinars: Listen again to Autodesk 'Automotive visualization, new quality standards in Virtual Prototyping'

Autodesk presented its latest Webinar, 'Automotive visualization, new quality standards in Virtual Prototyping', on 11 April. Virtual Prototyping is one of the most important steps in the development of a new car allowing the evaluation of a prototype in different aspects before it's even built. Autodesk's new VRED product line can be used throughout the whole design and construction process on a single data basis, without the need to re-do work.

Spied! 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Z28

The king of Camaros lives. Spy shooters have captured the 2012 Chevrolet Camaro Z28 during testing, and this monstrous red demon is wearing huge tires, dual exhaust and performance fascia. But this mule also has a telltale engine marking: a strip of paper indicating the venomous 6.2-liter supercharged V8 is underhood, and this particular example is using a slushbox.