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Ford to reveal design concept, Focus performance variant at Frankfurt

Ford is staging four global reveals in September at the Frankfurt motor show, including a design concept and performance news related to the Focus. Spokespeople at Ford declined to offer specifics, but the cars will be rolled out on Sept. 12 to the media, ahead of a public unveiling.

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.

BMW recalls 30,000 X5s to fix brake problem

BMW said Friday it is recalling more than 30,000 eight-cylinder X5 SUVs built between 2007 and 2010 due to a potential power assist braking malfunction. In a statement to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, BMW noted that a small amount of lubricating oil could leak into the vacuum hose that connects the vacuum pump and the brake booster. This leak could cause power-assist braking to malfunction.