Red Hydraulic Racing/drift Hand Brake/handbrake Rally Pneumatic E-brake Lever 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.

What's New - July 2005

Volvo C70 Volvo has released pictures of the second-generation C70, to be launched in September at the Frankfurt Motorshow. The new C70 seats four with a two-faced three-stage folding hardtop meaning there will be just one body style: rivals Mercedes CLK and SAAB 9-3 must wait until the next generation before they can claim the same. Designed as a coupe from the outset, the C70 answers the perennial cabriolet problem with an elegant profile, roof up or down.

Corvette evangelist, aerobatic pilot Betty Skelton dies at 85

Betty Skelton, former acrobatic airplane pilot, Chevrolet Corvette test driver and daredevil speed racer, died at the age of 85 on Aug. 31. Skelton established a concrete precedent for women's roles in aviation, aerobatic performance and auto racing.