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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.

Ford S-Max Vignale concept (2014) first official pictures

By Ollie Kew First Official Pictures 08 April 2014 11:00 This is the Ford S-Max Vignale concept. What makes this MPV design study so curious is the fact it’s essentially a top-spec version of a car that isn’t even on sale yet. Here’s the back story, Ford showed an S-Max ‘design study’ at the Frankfurt motor show in September 2013, which previewed the second-gen S-Max CAR spied testing earlier this year.

Alfa Romeo 4C at Frankfurt – only the colour changes

Alfa Romeo 4C in Fluid Metal at Frankfurt When Alfa Romeo teased the Alfa 4C for Frankfurt a few weeks back with a dark photo (what’s new?) we did ask what they were playing at. Don’t misunderstand; we think the Alfa Romeo 4C is exactly the sort of car Alfa should be making. No, what puzzled us was, why the tease?