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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.

Volvo Chief Designer reinterprets classic P1800

Christopher Benjamin, Chief Designer at Volvo's Monitoring and Concept Center in the US, has penned his vision of a future P1800 as part of Volvo's half-centenary celebrations for the car. Unveiled during the #SwedeSpeak Twitter chat, Benjamin presented this future vision of the iconic sports car. Volvo states that Benjamin is a true admirer of the original P1800 and that these images are what he feels a modern-day interpretation could look like.

General Motors halts Hummer production until sale is completed

General Motors will stop production of Hummers at the end of this week as the automaker waits for Chinese regulators to approve the brand's sale to Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery Co. Output of Hummer H3 and H3T models at GM's Shreveport, La., plant will resume once the pending acquisition is completed, Hummer spokesman Nick Richards said. Richards declined to specify what issues remain to be approved by the Chinese government.