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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.

Nissan Juke-R – first picture

Nissan Juke-R - the first official picture from Nissan With all things in the car world seemingly focused on fluffy bunnies and green halos, it’s great to see Nissan pushing the envelope at the other end with the Nissan Juke-R, a bonkers version  of Nissan’s compact SUV with the heart of Godzilla – the Nissan GT-R. We first reported the Juke-R – which we dubbed ‘Super Juke’ - at the end of last month when we didn’t know whether the Juke-R would be a one-off or a production model. But within weeks Nissan had come out and confessed our Juke-R story was real and that they really were working on a monster Juke with the heart of a Nissan GT-R.

Lexus LF-LC Blue concept unveiled in Australia

Lexus has unveiled a new take on the LF-LC concept—dubbed the LF-LC Blue—at the Australian motor show. The LF-LC Blue builds on the dramatic LF-LC coupe concept that debuted at the 2012 Detroit auto show, featuring the same wildly sculpted aluminum and carbon-fiber body. Lexus is calling concept's color Opal blue, a reference to the iridescent gemstones found in Australia.