Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. today announced the world’s first Ultra High Tensile Strength Steel rated at 1.2 gigapascals (GPa). From 2013, this new, highly formable steel will be produced as steel plates for use in cold pressing structural body parts. To be deployed globally in models across the Nissan lineup, it will reduce vehicle body …
1. MSNBC – “The recovery is close to faltering.” Those are the words of Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke. You can’t get much closer to the R-word these days without just coming out and saying “recession.” Central bankers typically avoid warning of impending recessions for fear of creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. But private economists …
Greencarcongress – Mazda Motor Corporation, in collaboration with Sumitomo Metal Industries, Ltd. and Aisin Takaoka Co., Ltd., has become the first automaker to successfully develop vehicle components using 1,800 MPa ultra-high tensile steel. The super-strength steel will debut in the new Mazda CX-5 crossover SUV that will commence its global launch in early 2012. Mazda’s …
The AP1000 nuclear reactor, is expected to start functioning in November 2013 at the Sanmen Nuclear Power Station in China, says Gary T. Urquhart, vice president and MD of Westinghouse for India, South East Asia and the Taiwan region. The remaining three will start functioning at intervals of six months with the fourth one attaining …
A miniature magic carpet made of plastic has taken flight in a laboratory at Princeton University. The 10cm (4in) sheet of smart transparency is driven by “ripple power”; waves of electrical current driving thin pockets of air from front to rear underneath. The prototype moves at speeds of about a centimeter per second, but improvements …
Researchers at Northwestern University have developed a simpler way to generate single-chip terahertz radiation, a discovery that could soon allow for more rapid security screening, border protection, high sensitivity biological/chemical analysis, agricultural inspection, and astronomical applications. Terahertz radiation (wavelength range of 30 – 300 microns) can be used to see through paper, clothing, cardboard, plastic, …
The AlphaDog Proto is a lab prototype for the Legged Squad Support System, a robot being developed by Boston Dynamics with funding from DARPA and the US Marine Corps. When fully developed the system will carry 400 lbs of payload on 20-mile missions in rough terrain. The first version of the complete robot will be …
NPR had a claim – two years ago, America was importing about two thirds of its oil. Today, according to the Energy Information Administration, it imports less than half. The actual levels seem to be more of a shift from 61-63% imports to 47% imports. 3.8 million barrels per day of lower oil imports but …
Imagine a single drug that would treat most, if not all, autoimmune disorders, such as asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and Lupus. That might not be so hard to do thanks to a team of researchers who have discovered a molecule normally used by the body to prevent unnecessary immune reactions. This molecule, pronounced “alpha v …
Xinhua – China’s first space lab module Tiangong-1 blasted off at 9:16 p.m. Beijing Time (1316 GMT) Thursday from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center located in China’s northwest desert area. The unmanned module, carried by the Long March-2FT1 rocket, will test space docking with a spacecraft later this year, paving the way for China to operate …
Carbon fiber composite autoparts can be 50% lighter than steel and 30% lighter than aluminum. Industrial-grade carbon fibers suitable for use in cars cost close to $30 per kg, Roberts says. High-end vehicle builders can afford expensive carbon fiber parts. “But how many people will really spend an extra $5,000 to $6,000 beyond the usual …