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Transportation

GM’s Self-Driving Car Strategy: Vertical Integration

Using maximum control to mitigate risk, GM can generate trillions in revenue by creating an autonomous ride-hailing ecosystem. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
Robotics, Automation & Control

Who’s Ahead in the Automated-Driving Race?

The 2018 Navigant Research Leaderboard study brings new insights into the industry’s progress. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
Power

Autonomy and Electrification: A Perfect Match?

The electric powertrain and autonomous vehicle marriage may well be ‘made in heaven’ — but like any strong partnership it also needs care and attention. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
Transportation

When Steering Isn’t Steering Anymore

High-level autonomy requires new thinking for even basic vehicle controls. Steer-by-wire technology eases some of the complexities automated driving presents—and offers desirable new possibilities.

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Application Briefs
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Lilium Starts Production of eVTOL Jet Batteries

The company describes its battery back as comprised of lithium-ion cells with silicon-dominant anodes that will allow for higher energy, power, and fast-charging capabilities than graphite anode cells. The battery packs are being designed to meet EASA’s aircraft safety requirements.

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Application Briefs
Manned Systems

Final Delta IV Heavy Rocket Launched

This launch marks the end of an era as it is the final Delta IV Heavy rocket and the end of the Delta program. The NROL-70 mission puts into orbit a national security payload that will deliver critical space-based information to our nation’s warfighters, intelligence analysts, and decision makers.

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Application Briefs
Manned Systems

Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile Flight Test

ITE-12 was the next ‘big-step’ in LRASM’s evolution. The successful test was a graduation exercise for the missiles’ latest configuration and lays the foundation for increased capabilities to come.

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Application Briefs
Manned Systems

Morphing Aircraft Systems

Inspired by natural phenomena, a Purdue research team is developing morphing systems for hypersonic vehicles that respond to their environment.

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

AI Algorithms Pilot X-62A in First Aerial Dogfight

The U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School (TPS) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency have reported another major breakthrough for the artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms or “agents” that have been flying their modified F-16 test aircraft known as VISTA X-62A in a series of flight tests since 2022.

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Articles
RF & Microwave Electronics

NASA’s Optical Communications Demo Transmits Data Over 140 Million Miles

This achievement provides a glimpse into how spacecraft could use optical communications in the future, enabling higher-data-rate communications of complex scientific information as well as high-definition imagery and video in support of humanity’s next giant leap: sending humans to Mars.

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Articles
RF & Microwave Electronics

Pioneering Space Communication with Terrestrial Know-How

For design engineers venturing into the non-terrestrial domain, it is important to partner with a company that not only understands the importance of extensive and rigorous testing, but also possesses the capability for efficient mass production of components.

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Articles
Electronics & Computers

How SpaceVPX is Influencing the Design of Next Generation Spacecraft Avionics

SpaceVPX is an embedded computing standard based on bridging the VMEBus International Trade Association (VITA) OpenVPX standards to space applications. OpenVPX is a set of embedded computing system standards that are widely used in safety critical aerospace and defense platforms such as vehicles and weapons.

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Articles
Defense

Image Sensors and Cameras Based on Colloidal Quantum Dots for Defense Applications

This article reports on the image sensor technology and the VS20 camera product developed at Emberion. The article describes the image sensor design comprising the sensor stack based on a p-i-n photodiode implementation with PbS QDs sandwiched between thin-film hole transport (HTL) and electron transport (ETL) layers as well as the CMOS ROIC architecture and pixel front-end interfacing the photodiode stack.

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Articles
Green Design & Manufacturing

Aitiip Integrates Freeform Injection Molding to Lower Weight and Reduce Production Costs

Aitiip is a leading Spanish research and development institute and serves companies in the aeronautics, automation, industrial, and packaging sectors. The institute possesses strong platforms for the characterization of materials and processes and is known as a powerful integrator of technologies, which is constantly on the lookout for the next transformative technology.

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Articles
Connectivity

Digital Twinning and Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information

Creating a digital twin is not just a technical feat; it is a strategic imperative that touches every facet of modern business. From security to sovereignty and from trust to ethics, the decisions made today about digital twin architecture will reverberate long into the future. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
Energy

Thermal Management for Off-Highway Electric Vehicles

As demand increases for electric and hybrid technology advancements in the North American market, off-highway vehicles are subject to many challenges. These range from vibration and shock impacts on the vehicles, to thermal stress and adverse environmental conditions such as water, ice, humidity, dust, and grime. Read on to learn how to mitigate these threats.

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Articles
Power

How Intelligent Battery Management Drives EV Buyer Confidence

Battery management systems are poised to become a key competitive differentiator in an EV market that is seeking to grow and thrive on a global level. And by tapping into smarter BMS, automotive manufacturers are future-proofing their resources by embracing, even anticipating, trends in EV battery design. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
Green Design & Manufacturing

Control Valves: Essential Components for EV Battery Manufacturing and Recycling

Recovery of valuable elements within the EV battery is essential for the health and viability of the industry. In recycling used EV batteries, controls valves are required. Read on to learn more.

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Articles
Energy

EV Energy Management Powers Up

Future electric vehicles will be more efficient, more powerful, and will be able to hold more energy in their batteries than today’s EVs. Those big “mores” require countless small improvements beyond the headline component — batteries. Read on to learn more.

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News
Energy

ACT Expo: Honda Shows Class 8 Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Truck Concept

Honda debuted a Class 8 hydrogen fuel-cell truck concept — a Peterbilt Model 579EV battery-electric tractor retrofitted with three new Honda fuel cell (FC) systems — at the...

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Articles
Transportation

Reinventing the Automobile’s Design

The 2030 view inside the Mobility Industry, towards fully autonomous electric vehicles and robotaxi business models, has swiftly evolved from skepticism towards conventional wisdom. If the current view...

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News
Design

Zero Prototype Summit 2024: The Future Is Closer Than Ever

Despite rainy skies above northeastern Italy in mid-May, the mood at VI-grade’s 2024 Zero Prototype Summit (ZPS) was decidedly sunny. VI-grade’s partners from around the world...

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News
Automotive

2025 Cadillac Optiq EV Arrives with Standard Dual Motors

Continuing its rollout of EVs, Cadillac revealed the 2025 Optiq SUV today, the company’s most affordable EV yet and a smaller sibling to the popular Lyriq that was introduced last...

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Technical Innovation
Manned Systems

REE’s P7 Brings Advanced Suspension Control to Medium-Duty Trucks

Take a deep dive into the suspension and control systems of REE’s impressive commercial truck chassis, featuring modular, independently controlled suspension and brake systems. Read on to learn more.

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News
Energy

Volvo Charts Its Path Towards Zero Emissions

Volvo Trucks is betting on themselves to reach the aggressive goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. The company is taking an almost fanatical approach to its emissions reduction targets in...

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Application Briefs
Aerospace

UAV In-Flight Software Upgrades

During a recent demonstration, Collins Aerospace and Parasanti proved they could use UAVs to install software upgrades on other UAVs to update them in-flight.

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Articles
Power

The Lesson of J3400: Move Fast and Fix Things

On May 25, 2023, Ford made an announcement that seemed unimaginable. For those in the EV and standards industry, it caught many by surprise. Ford was partnering with Tesla to move away from the...

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Technical Innovation
Energy

Volvo Trucks’ Battery Chemistry of Choice: NCA

While Daimler Truck, Paccar and Accelera by Cummins are pursuing lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery cells with technology partner EVE Energy, Volvo Trucks employs lithium-ion batteries in...

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Technical Innovation
Energy

Sustainable Ecosystem Model Involves Multiple Partners

Rooftop solar panels will soon power about 90% of PFG’s Gilroy, California, operations, the starting point for cold food deliveries. The vehicles getting the various edibles and...

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