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Robotics, Automation & Control

AYE, ROBOT!

Since 1961, General Motors has used robots for work described by the three Ds — difficult, dangerous or dirty. About a decade ago, GM started looking at ways to move robots from today’s highly-restricted work cells into an...

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Technology Report
Automotive

More Adhesives Help Stiffen Honda's 2018 Odyssey Structure

Structural adhesives are gaining in usage popularity as engineers employ the bonding agent with lightweight materials to help achieve a continuous bond for improved vehicle rigidity...

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Technology Report
Automotive

Repaired Carbon-Fiber Frame Can Be Stronger Than Original Structure

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) and researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) have demonstrated a new “reversible” adhesive for multi-material joining that...

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Technology Report
Electronics & Computers

Digitalization Extends Simulation into Factories

The role of digital data is expanding rapidly, extending to the equipment on the factory floor after coming into dominance in the design of everything from components to end vehicles....

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Technology Report
RF & Microwave Electronics

Manufacturing Systems Get Smart, Self Heal

Competition in the aerospace industry is fierce at all levels, and that includes the factory floor. Achieving production numbers is imperative to meeting both cost and customer expectations, and...

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News
Manufacturing & Prototyping

Automotive Prepares for 3D Printed-Part Assault

The use cases for three-dimensional printed automobile parts are plentiful, but significant production applications of the additive manufacturing process have been almost non-existent in...

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Product Briefs
RF & Microwave Electronics

Cable-To-Cable Connector Series

The CTC series from ITT Cannon (Irvine, CA) is a simple-to-install, low-maintenance cable-to-cable interconnect solution. It is suitable for a wide variety of harsh environment vehicle applications where...

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Product Briefs
Electronics & Computers

Electric Linear Actuator

The LA33 electric linear actuator from LINAK (Louisville, KY) is a mid-range device that combines compact design and high power in one solution fit for use in the most extreme environments. Offering a 12- or 24-V dc...

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News
Materials

Toyota's New Structural Blue Paint Shimmers on Lexus LC500

We normally think of color as the product of the absorption of certain wavelengths to leave only the desired color to reflect. But it can also be produced by colorless surfaces...

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Technology Report
Software

Workhorse Multiphysics Tool Gets Upgrades

Engineers are now able to design with far higher precision, making materials thinner and lighter without sacrificing quality and durability. But as they press the limits of technology, engineers...

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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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What We’re Driving
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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Articles
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
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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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...

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

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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Articles
RF & Microwave Electronics

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
Connectivity

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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Technology Report
Propulsion

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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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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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
Power

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
Materials

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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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
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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News
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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News
Electronics & Computers

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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