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Issue Archive

Automotive Engineering - October 2019

Products

Electronics & Computers

New Products

CT Software Solutions

Volume Graphics (Charlotte, NC) announced the latest generation of its software solutions for non-destructive quality assurance with industrial computed tomography (CT): Version 3.3 of VGSTUDIO...

Articles

RF & Microwave Electronics

Solid-State Microwave Power Module

The MPM has uses in military aerospace applications.

Briefs

Test & Measurement

Engineered Resilient Systems

A new application called TradeAnalyzer provides multiple visualization methods to examine, sort, and filter the attributes of data.

Application Briefs

Imaging

EO/IR Maritime Payload

CONTROP Precision Technologies Ltd., recently demonstrated its iSea-25HD system.

Articles

Photonics/Optics

Defeating Commercial Drone Threats with Open-Source SDR

With the emergence of highly capable, low-cost, wirelessly controlled drones, bad actors can easily execute disruptive operations.

News

Power

Casting Around for Lightweighting Solutions

“Get more [efficiency] from less [weight, time, cost],” is a mantra that will be chanted sotto voce by many an automotive designer and engineer facing the latest list of a new vehicle’s...

Briefs

Test & Measurement

Waveform Synthesis for Shock Response Spectrum Replication, Applied to Ground Vehicle Component Testing

Improved test methods will help alleviate the impact of shock levels on military and commercial ground vehicle components.

Articles

Electronics & Computers

Defining an Open System Architecture Standard for Defense Systems

In 2019 the U.S. defense embedded computing market underwent a transformation

Application Briefs

Sensors/Data Acquisition

Counter IED System

Netline Communications Technologies Ltd.
Tel Aviv, Israel
www.netlinetech.com

Netline Communications Technologies Ltd., a company that develops and manufactures high-end electronic warfare and spectrum...

Application Briefs

Defense

Drone Control System

Kongsberg Geospatial recently introduced a new multi-domain control system for coordinating the use of drones in the battlespace.

Application Briefs

Test & Measurement

Unmanned Helicopter Drone

A Robinson-22 helicopter converted into an unmanned drone successfully completed in-air programmed missions.

Articles

Mechanical & Fluid Systems

The Challenge of Replacing Hard Chrome

Replacing hard chrome requires aerospace companies to critically evaluate why they used it in the first place.

Articles

Energy

Artificial Intelligence and Autonomous Vehicles

Helping to drive the AI trend is the availability of a new class of embedded AI processors.

Briefs

Transportation

SnowMicroPenetrometer Applications for Winter Vehicle Mobility

Characterizing the mechanical properties of snow and their impact on vehicle performance could improve vehicle winter mobility modeling.

Briefs

Sensors/Data Acquisition

Influence of Leading-Edge Oscillatory Blowing on Time-Accurate Dynamic Store Separation

Developing an understanding of, and potentially controlling, pitch bifurcation could improve weapons delivery.

Briefs

Defense

Green’s Function Extraction from Atmospheric Acoustic Propagation

Understanding what affects acoustic waves propagating in the atmosphere is important for a variety of military applications.

Application Briefs

RF & Microwave Electronics

Autonomous Multi-Sensor Maritime Awareness System

BIRD Aerosystems officially launched the OSCAR - Ocean Surveillance Control and Reconnaissance technology.

Articles

Software

A 'STEP' Forward for Product Lifecycle Management

CAD is constantly changing, which predicates the need for a solution to share validated and accurately translated data.

News

Connectivity

AB Dynamics Supports Germany’s PEGASUS Project Test of Multiple Autonomous Vehicle Control

Test systems supplier AB Dynamics has announced it will support PEGASUS, Germany’s new testing procedure for automated vehicles (AV). PEGASUS...

Technology Report

Semiconductors & ICs

Continental Tire Rolls Towards a Smart and Connected Future

It is difficult to become emotional about tires except when they – literally – let us down. But tires are set to get smarter, communicate more effectively and react to...

Technology Report

Test & Measurement

GKN Spreads Premium Propshaft Tech to Quiet Pickup Cabins

It may seem a long way in engineering and NVH terms from premium European cars such as Audi’s A5 and A7 to light duty trucks, but GKN Automotive has bridged that gap with its...

Technology Report

Energy

Cutting Weight Seen as less Important in Automated and Shared Vehicles

After long demonstrating lightweighting with steel for contemporary passenger vehicles, the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI) is slightly changing the tune...

Technical Innovation

Electronics & Computers

Link Digital Suspension Uses Sensors, ECU to Keep Cabs Stable

Link Manufacturing is beefing up its usage of digital technologies with an upgraded Cabmate, unveiling a cab suspension system that smooths the ride for both drivers and those...

News

Imaging

The Ford GT

As part of its sponsorship of this year’s annual auto-palooza known as the Woodward Dream Cruise, Ford invited media to sample its Ford GT supercar along Detroit’s famous avenue. With its sold-out production run of 1,350...

Technical Innovation

RF & Microwave Electronics

Design Tools Ensure Component Compatibility, Create Autonomous Driving Tests

Simulation has become a critical element in design and validation, expanding its reach to nearly every facet of vehicle development. Partnerships and cloud...

Road Ready

Energy

2019 Frankfurt Auto Show: Porsche Unveils Taycan Electric Sedan

After four years of teasing and meticulously-metered release of technical details, Porsche unveiled the production version of its Taycan electric vehicle (EV) at this...

News

Automotive

2019 Suzuki Jimny

It may seem a conflict in terms, but the all-new, pint-sized 2019 Suzuki Jimny SUV, winner of the Urban Car category in the 2019 World Car Awards, not only has selectable all-wheel drive (Allgrip Pro) but also a...

News

Unmanned Systems

Roush Opens Advanced Durability Lab

The auto industry’s steady march toward electrified and automated vehicles has many suppliers affixed to the digital-testing environment rather than using traditional hardware validation.

Q&A

Manned Systems

CNH's CEO: Big Nikola Investment Also Benefits Off-Highway Biz

CNH Industrial is separating its On-Highway (commercial vehicles and powertrain) and Off-Highway (agriculture, construction and specialty vehicles) segments into two listed...

Original Equipment

Communications

Truck OEMs Intensify Focus on Customer Experience, Telematics to Keep Fleets up and Running

With a customer-focused strategy and aftersales division in place, Navistar International’s recently rolled-out Vision 2025 represents a...

News

Manufacturing & Prototyping

Teleoperations Will Keep Humans in the AV Loop

In March 2017, Leanid Tsurankou began working as a self-driving engineer for Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group in San Francisco. Those were heady days, when a wave of euphoria about...

News

Power

Expanding Fast Charging Faster

There’s a potential speed bump ahead on the road to commercial electric vehicle (EV) adoption that few people are talking about. According to Jeff Wolfe, Tritium’s president of the Americas, by 2030...

News

Test & Measurement

Cab Air Quality: A Critical Component of Operator Comfort

Review the design specs for any new haul truck, excavator, dozer or other off-road machine, and you’re not likely to find requirements related to cab air quality—yet....

Articles

Power

All Options on the Table

The push to trim engine emissions is prompting industry-wide efforts to use substitutes for diesel fuel. Alternative fuels and electrified powertrains are making significant inroads, though design teams for...

News

Transportation

How HMI Displays Impact Operator Productivity in Industrial Vehicles

The latest research indicates that well-integrated HMI (human-machine interface) systems lead to more attentive users that better retain task-related information and...

Briefs

Aerospace

Lightweight Sensing and Control System for Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Monitoring

A new sensing and control system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) allows for semi-autonomous flight. Pilots need not leave the ground to conduct routine monitoring and surveillance quickly and cost-effectively. Such systems are particularly useful during long flight...

INSIDER

Aerospace

Pilot Assistance System Enables Low-Noise Landings

Approach and landing are among the most complex phases of a flight. In order to enable pilots to fly as quietly as possible, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) developed the Low Noise...

INSIDER

Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Air Force Invents Aircraft Tire Change Tool

How many airmen does it take to change a cargo aircraft tire? Too many. The U. S. Air Force’s largest aircraft, the C-5M Super Galaxy, has 28 tires. The current tire changing method is...

INSIDER

Defense

Air Force Scientists Discover Unique Stretchable Conductor

The Air Force Research Laboratory has developed liquid metal systems which autonomously change structure so that they become better conductors in response to strain. Conductive...

INSIDER

Test & Measurement

How to Dismantle a Nuclear Bomb

How do weapons inspectors verify that a nuclear bomb has been dismantled? An unsettling answer is: They don’t, for the most part. When countries sign arms reduction pacts, they do not typically grant...

INSIDER

Software

Army Hopes to Use AI to Create More-Efficient Fuel Cells

As part of an effort to address the gap the U.S. Army faces in its need for long-lasting power and batteries for warfighters, an Army-funded research team has developed an...

News

Aerospace

Answering Your Questions: How Will the Military Use Motion Control Technology?

A Tech Briefs reader asks: What's next with military motion control?

News

Manufacturing & Prototyping

Rodin Racecar Targeted as Lighter, Faster Than a Formula One

Slated for track testing late this year, the Rodin FZERO race car is the brainchild of Ferrari Challenge class champion and car enthusiast David Dicker. The Rodin FZERO is...

Blog

Transportation

AUSA 2019: A View From the Show Floor

Editor Bruce A. Bennett offers a look at the Association of the United States Army's 2019 Annual Meeting.

Technology Report

Connectivity

A Mirrorless Future? NHTSA Seeks Input on Exterior Cameras

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in early October distributed a notice soliciting industry and public input on whether to allow “camera...

Blog

Electronics & Computers

AUSA 2019: Military Preps for Open Sensor Standards

SOSA, the Sensor Open Systems Architecture Consortium, held a press conference on Monday afternoon at AUSA 2019.

Blog

Aerospace

AUSA 2019: Eyes in the Sky

It just wouldn’t be a military technology show without a few drones on display.

What We’re Driving

Energy

2020 Volkswagen Passat GTE

A mid-life update and up-spec for Volkswagen’s Europe-built Passat range brings a plug-in hybrid-electric (PHEV) version – a first for the model – for MY2020. Not for the first time (the Phaeton was one...

News

Electronics & Computers

AUSA 2019: A Really Cool Computer

Ben Sharfi, CEO of General Micro Systems (GMS), says he has the Product of the Year. Do you agree?

Articles

Regulations/Standards

Dial ‘M’ for Mobility: Smartphone as Steering Wheel

For those with a passion for automated-vehicle innovations, late September and early October meant a trip to Twitter and YouTube, which were awash with videos from owners,...

News

Unmanned Systems

Mapping Canada — Centimeter by Centimeter

Fully-automated vehicles will only be as smart as the datasets they use to determine their driving pathways. Jakarto Cartographie 3D, a young company based in Montreal, is working on...

INSIDER

Propulsion

NASA and Industry Electrify Commercial Aviation

NASA and U.S. industry are exploring electrified aircraft propulsion as a fuel- and- cost-efficient alternative to traditional jet engine-powered airplanes. But to make electric commercial...

INSIDER

Aerospace

Porsche and Boeing Partner on Urban Air Mobility

Porsche and Boeing have partnered to leverage their unique market strengths to study the future of premium personal urban air mobility vehicles.

INSIDER

Test & Measurement

Research Highlights Future Hypersonic Flight Challenges

Southwest Research Institute engineers are conducting tests that elucidate the conditions a future aircraft may experience traveling faster than 10 times the speed of sound. Because...

Articles

Connectivity

The AV Industry Searches for a Near-Term Business Case

In July 2019, an impressive lineup of the world’s leading autonomous vehicle (AV) companies gathered in San Jose for the TechCrunch Sessions: Mobility 2019 conference....

Articles

Connectivity

Far and Away: Remote Drivers Monitor Autonomous Vehicles

Eliminating the safety “watchdogs” who typically ride in autonomous vehicles (AVs) is a big step for technologists and legislators alike. A shuttle at Texas A&M university...

News

Motion Control

UofM Research Hopes to Eliminate That Queasy Feeling

As concerns mount around how automated-vehicle (AV) passengers will react to increasing degrees of driving detachment, researchers are trying to better understand how and why humans...

INSIDER

Defense

Cracking in Harsh Environments Needs Both Stress and Corrosion

Alloys (metals combining two or more metallic elements) are typically stronger and less susceptible to cracking than pure metals. Yet when alloys are subjected to stress and...

INSIDER

Defense

Airbus Inaugurates New A320 Structure Assembly Line in Hamburg

Airbus has inaugurated a highly automated fuselage structure assembly line for A320 Family aircraft in Hamburg, Germany, showcasing an evolution in Airbus’ industrial...

INSIDER

Defense

NASA’s Supersonic X-59 QueSST Being Built at Famed Factory

In the high desert of California, where some of the most important aircraft in aviation history have been built and flown, the next airplane destined to make history continues...

News

Mechanical & Fluid Systems

Engineering Artifact: Ford Mustang Boss 351 V10 Concept

Manufacturers are constantly prototyping by leveraging existing engineering assets to improve their products. Clean-sheet designs are expensive and rare, so advanced engineering...

News

Software

Ford Announces All-New SYNC 4 Connectivity Suite

Ford has previewed its next-gen SYNC 4 communications and entertainment system, which will provide cloud-based connectivity via larger screens and advanced voice recognition. The system...

News

Connectivity

SAE Innovations in Mobility Conference: Advanced Weather Data Can Boost AV Functionality, Safety

Acknowledging that foul weather is a challenge for automated-vehicle (AV) operation, the CEO and founder of a company that creates highly...