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Automotive

2018 Porsche Cayenne Rides High on Air Suspension and a Lighter Unibody.

Porsche’s pioneering Cayenne crossover SUV enters its third generation in 2018 following six-year runs of both the first- and second-generation models. In its latest...

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Technology Report
Manufacturing & Prototyping

PSA’s Plan of Action for Opel/Vauxhall: Electrification, Shared Platforms, Global R&D Center in Germany

One hundred days after France's PSA group bought GM’s Opel/Vauxhall European operations, the first and crucial detailed plan of...

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Product Briefs
RF & Microwave Electronics

Dual-Band Front-End Module

Skyworks' (Woburn, MA) SkyOne WiFi is a new family of highly-integrated wireless networking solutions for mobile and IoT ecosystems. The new devices incorporate all the key radio frequency (RF) blocks between the...

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News
Unmanned Systems

Moving Swiftly to Define the Shared-Mobility Future

Public and private partnerships to standardize data, share data, and protect sensitive data are being formed to help understand—and at the same time define—shared-mobility’s...

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Articles
Electronics & Computers

ZF’s CES Blitz Underscores Industry Shifts

The Consumer Electronics Show has become a centerpiece for advanced automotive technologies, highlighting the huge industry transition driven connectivity and convenience. Partnerships are now a...

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Briefs
Sensors/Data Acquisition

Using Ground Sensors to Defend Aircraft Against Laser Strikes

A growing safety concern for pilots and aircraft passengers is laser strikes, or the aiming of high-power laser pointers at aircraft. To address the present lack of effective laser...

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Articles
Energy

Who Wants Afreecar?

One billion people globally survive on less than $2/day but desperately need personal mobility and electric power. One of the auto industry’s most creative minds offers what could be a unique and sustainable solution.

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Articles
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Dana Opens New Chapter on CVTs

VariGlide’s 2020 market entrance underscores not only Dana’s faith in the fundamental Fallbrook technology, but also the fact that the next decade will see many exciting new driveline solutions emerge beyond the battery-electric “revolution” that is taking longer to arrive than some expected.

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Articles
Transportation

Plastics Key to Mobility Innovations

The 2017 SPE Innovation Awards highlight the design, engineering and materials-science collaborations between vehicle OEMs and their tier suppliers.

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Technology Report
Electronics & Computers

Kiekert Unveils Automatic-Door Tech for Autonomous Vehicles

A new electronic side door latch is the prelude to vehicle side doors that automatically open and close on command.

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Articles
Robotics, Automation & Control

Fusing Sensors for the Automated-Driving Future

The ability to scale is always critical, but will be especially important as technology marches forward. Sensors improve, processors get more powerful, and engineers figure out ways to do more every year. Advances in one area typically beget progress in other fields.

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News
Materials

Keeping Carbon-Composites Cool in Hot Applications

Cost is not the only inhibitor to wider use of automotive carbon composites. Their inability to cope with high temperatures is also of serious concern. Locating carbon-composite parts...

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Aerospace

Unmanned Helicopter Enables Rapid Resupply

Autonomy options for the Marine Corps have taken a major step forward, as the Office of Naval Research completed a helicopter flight demonstration with autonomous capability that will enable the Marine...

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Manufacturing & Prototyping

NASA Tests 3D-Printed Rocket Part

Engineers successfully hot-fire-tested an RS-25 rocket engine with a large 3D-printed part for the first time, marking a key step toward reducing costs for future engines that power NASA’s new heavy-lift...

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News
Propulsion

Powertrain Mix for CVs in Europe Set to Diversify, but Cost Is Critical

The European Commission looks set to continue its move away from diesel, prompting manufacturers to assess future powertrain options for commercial vehicles.

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Road Ready
Design

2019 XC40 Spearheads Volvo's New CMA Platform

While some larger OEMs have lagged behind the bulging crossover curve, Volvo is launching its third in two years. The 2019 XC40, Volvo’s first premium compact CUV and its first global...

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News
Green Design & Manufacturing

Plug-In Hybrid Brings Honda into Sharper Clarity

Honda’s recently introduced Clarity plug-in hybrid sedan is the third variant of this revitalized and electrified nameplate. It joins the Clarity Fuel Cell, which debuted in December 2016...

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Transportation

Toyota Unveils Autonomous E-Commerce Concept Vehicle, Development Alliance

Toyota used the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), to reveal an all-new, battery-electric commercial vehicle targeted for emerging e-commerce and mobility...

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News
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Super Vacuum Die Casting to the Rescue Via Improved Quality, Reduced Costs

To large manufacturers, new technologies and variations on existing technologies demand bound conditions through specifications to determine standardized design...

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News
Electronics & Computers

All U.S. Toyotas to Be ‘Connected’ by 2020

All U.S.-market Toyota models will be enabled with cellular/internet connectivity by 2020, Zach Hicks, CEO and president of Toyota Connected and senior VP and CIO of Toyota Motor North America,...

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Articles
Electronics & Computers

Nvidia’s Newest AV Processor: 30 Trillion Operations per Second on 30 Watts

It was two “P’s”—processing and partnerships—that headlined the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show for graphics-processing giant Nvidia, as the company...

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News
Transportation

Chevy Unveils Larger, Lighter 2019 Silverado at Detroit Auto Show

With chief rival Ford setting sales records with its F-Series pickups and FCA’s Ram brand prepared to unveil an all-new Ram light-duty pickup at the 2018 Detroit auto show,...

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News
Propulsion

China Engine MRO Market Seeing Major Boom

While engine manufacturers fill orders from large operators for numerous new commercial engine types, maintenance costs of older, in-service engines will also continue to rise. Analysts currently...

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Road Ready
Transportation

2019 Ford Ranger Returns as a Midsize with 10-Speed and Turbo Four

Ford has been content for years to allow other automakers to profit from midsize pickup trucks. When the company discontinued the compact Ranger in 2011, after a 27-year...

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News
Transportation

Lexus Unveils Concept Flagship Crossover

A key product missing from the portfolio of Toyota's luxury division is a flagship crossover utility vehicle. That’s likely to change, given the world debut of the Lexus LF-1 Limitless concept at...

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News
Transportation

Ford Unveils 2019 Mustang Bullitt, Promises Performance EV

Ford bet heavily on its heritage cards at the 2018 Detroit auto show. After unveiling a new-age midsize pickup coming in 2019 that revives the Ranger name, the company went on to...

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News
Automotive

Mercedes Boosts Off-Road Prowess of 2019 G-Wagen

Enthusiasts still call it the "G-wagen" and its boxy exterior form remains faithful to the 1979 original. There's still a ladder-type frame, three fully-locking differentials and low-range...

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Technical Innovation
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Gaining the Manufacturing 4.0 Advantage with Data-Driven In-Process Testing

Manufacturing is changing thanks to the increasingly sophisticated and intelligent use of data to make a production line smarter and more efficient. For off-highway...

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News
Transportation

New Toyota Avalon Gains Advanced Suspension, Lighting Systems

An adaptive variable suspension that improves ride and handling, and a dynamic headlamp system that illuminates the surroundings on curved roadways represent brand-first...

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News
Automotive

2019 Jetta Gains Space and Tech with Move to MQB

As some automakers are ditching the U.S. sedan market in favor of more profitable crossovers and trucks amid moderate retail fuel prices, Volkswagen is continuing to see the compact market as...

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News
Transportation

Nissan Xmotion Blends Interior Artistry and Technology

The influence of Japan’s landscape and traditional wood crafting techniques are dovetailed in Nissan’s Xmotion (pronounced cross-motion) concept CUV, a design exploration that...

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News
Automotive

2019 Kia Forte Gets 'Smart' CVT

Kia’s 2019 Forte compact sedan gets the spicy exterior design cues of the Kia Stinger fastback sports sedan and improved mpg with the first production 'intelligent' variable transmission from parent...

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News
Software

Infiniti Concept Conjures a New-Tech Q45

The design signature for autonomous technologies and connected vehicles could be a car’s front-end, and that message--delivered in edgy design language--is a centerpiece of the Infiniti Q...

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Product Briefs
Aerospace

Global Supplier Opens Headquarters in Detroit

Automotive acoustic and textile solutions global supplier Auria Solutions, Ltd. (Southfield, MI) has established its headquarters facility in metro Detroit. Located in Southfield, the site will serve as the company’s global operational headquarters and regional North American headquarters. Auria's new...

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Defense

Army Partners with Marine Corps on 3-D Printed Drones

Army researchers are working with the Marines to develop 3-D printed drones as materials science, aviation technology and software development merge to deliver new capabilities.

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INSIDER
Defense

Air Force Research Lab and Industry Advance Multi-Junction Solar Cells

Experts at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) continue to expand the scope of their technological expertise, rising above the Earth’s surface to meet the power...

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INSIDER
Communications

‘Quantum Radio’ May Aid Communications Indoors, Underground, Underwater

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have demonstrated that quantum physics might enable communications and mapping in locations...

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News
RF & Microwave Electronics

SAE Connect2Car: Smart Cities Bring Connectivity Challenges

Connectivity has become a central focus for automakers—providing myriad benefits today while paving the road for self-driving vehicles. But the challenges associated with...

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News
RF & Microwave Electronics

A Secure Technology Future Underscores U.S. Army's R&D Work

As the Director of the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) in Warren, Michigan, Dr. Paul D. Rogers oversees more than 1700 engineers,...

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News
Propulsion

Achates Power OP Engine Begins Real-World Test Phase

In 2016, Achates Power received a $9 million award from the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s ARPA-E program to develop its opposed-piston gasoline compression ignition (OPGCI) engine. Through...

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News
Automotive

FCA Turbocharges the 2019 Jeep Cherokee

FCA used the Jeep Cherokee's significant mid-cycle revamp for 2019 to introduce a new, sophisticated 4-cylinder gasoline engine to the popular midsize SUV.

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News
Energy

Paccar Reveals New and Future Tech at CES 2018

Although 2018 marked its first-ever presence at the enormously influential Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Paccar made sure it fit right in with the show’s technology- and...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

NASA Takes Aviation Research to the ‘Max’

NASA and the German Aerospace Center (DLR) are studying what happens with engine performance, emissions, and contrail formation when using different types of fuels in jet engines. The...

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INSIDER
Aerospace

Drone Flies Freely with Independently Controlled Wings

A research team designed the main wings of the Nsphere aerial vehicle to be controlled separately and independently. The drone with independently controlled wings can take off and land...

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Technical Innovation
Energy

ChemSEI-Linker Extends Lithium Battery Life, Increases EV Range

New technologies continue to push the boundaries of battery technology. As electrification becomes more prevalent in the heavy-duty and off-highway industries, battery...

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News
Defense

FL Technics Completes Major Upgrade Project for Airbus A321s

FL Technics, which specializes in specializes traditional MRO areas such as line maintenance, component support, and engine management, has recently completed major modifications...

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News
Transportation

What We’re Driving: 2018 Toyota C-HR

Owing to its sharky-oddball styling, you’ll be in your share of gas-station conversions with the C-HR. Apparently originally meant to be a member of Toyota’s Scion youth brand, the C-HR striking to...

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News
Transportation

2018 Kia Stinger

The 2018 Kia Stinger is one of the year’s biggest new-vehicle surprises for me. It showed its mettle by earning a finalist spot in the 2018 North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year voting, of which I took part,...

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News
RF & Microwave Electronics

Aurora Proves Unmanned UH-1H Capabilities for Marines, Continues Orion UAS Work for USAF

In December, Aurora Flight Sciences conducted a successful demonstration of the company's autonomous helicopter system at the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC)...

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What We’re Driving
Mechanical & Fluid Systems

2018 Mercedes-AMG E 63 S 4Matic+

It isn’t every car maker that introduces its new car with a session on a tight and slippery test track. But when it’s a 1955-kg (4090-lb) sedan with 450 kW (603 hp) and 850 N·m (627 lb·ft) of torque...

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News
Software

Nissan's ProPILOT Assist Is More Than Lane-Keeping

An SAE Level 2 partial automation system helps a driver keep a Nissan car centered between lane markers at highway speeds and during stop and go traffic jams.

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News
RF & Microwave Electronics

Osram and Vergence Automation Develop New Lidar and 4D Camera for Autonomous Vehicles

The pace of autonomous vehicle development is driving new opportunities for established auto suppliers to expand their technology portfolios. Recently...

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News
Lighting

Lights Communicate Hella's Autonomous Vehicle Messages

Imagine autonomously driven vehicles communicating with the human drivers of other vehicles by non-verbal, easy-to-understand messages. It’s a scenario that has lighting supplier...

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INSIDER
Manufacturing & Prototyping

New Boeing Method Accelerates Turbulence Modeling Uncertainty Analysis

Boeing has long used computational tools as part of its aircraft design process, but now engineers at the world’s largest aerospace company are increasingly shifting...

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INSIDER
Manufacturing & Prototyping

New Research Finds Cause of Alloy Weakness

Sometimes calculations don’t match reality. That’s the problem that has faced materials scientists for years when trying to determine the strength of alloys. There has been a disconnect between...

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INSIDER
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Sandia Computer Modeling Aids Solder Reliability in Nuclear Weapons

Solder isn’t the first thing that comes to mind as essential to a nuclear weapon. But since weapons contain hundreds of thousands of solder joints, each potentially a...

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News
Energy

China Flies with ADS-B In

With air traffic in China steadily growing, efforts to update air-traffic-management systems are vital to maintaining air safety. The path to modernized, networked, NextGen air-traffic communications, aviation...

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News
Communications

SAE Government/Industry 2018: AT&T Reaffirms Mobile 5G Trials, DSRC ‘Still Alive’

In Washington, DC, at the 2018 SAE Government/Industry meeting this week, cellular-communications giant AT&T affirmed in a session on...

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News
Electronics & Computers

OA-X Contender Moonlights as AFRL Testbed

Months have passed since the United States Air Force (USAF) finished the first phase of its light attack aircraft experiment. The OA-X assessment, which took place at Holloman Air Force Base (AFB) in...

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