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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.

Porsche Panamera Shooting Brake Estate Concept at Paris?

It looks like Porsche will be showing a concept estate version of the Panamera at Paris – perhaps the Porsche Panamera Shooting Brake? The rumours that Porsche are preparing an estate version of the Panamera for the Paris Motor Show in September are gathering pace, and it now seems almost certain there will be a Panamera Shooting Brake Concept to upset Porsche purists when the Paris Motor Show opens on 27th September. Although the Panamera Estate Concept is highly probable, it seems likely any production car is some way off – probably 2015 at the earliest – before which we’ll see the Panamera get a facelift (which could arrive at Paris too) and even a Panamera Coupe and convertible on a shortened wheelbase.

Subaru BRZ tS is the ‘Sporty’ BRZ STI with no more go

Subaru BRZ tS (pictured) more show – no more go When we ran the tease photo for what appeared to be the Subaru BRZ STI, we did hope this would be the BRZ with more power. After all, STI (Subaru Tecnica International) is the go faster bit of Subaru so it seemed to be pointing in the right direction, a direction lovers of the BRZ (and its sibling, the Toyota GT86) have been hoping for since it arrived – one with more power. But this isn’t the Subaru equivalent of a BMW M or a Mercedes AMG, its more the equivalent of BMW Performance Parts, where Subaru’s STI division have kitted out a standard car with bolt on modifications and called it the Subaru BRZ tS.