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Official: Ford looks to space robots to improve car-to-car communications [w/video]

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Ford, Russia

Ford has partnered with St. Petersburg Polytechnic University for three years to research various kinds of connected vehicle communications. The university tie-up is part of its study of space robots, NASA systems created to enable space-to-Earth communication, and the university’s own development of systems that enable communication between the International Space State and Earth.

The objective is for Ford to engineer layers of robust networks and redundancy systems that will allow your car to speak to other cars, to emergency vehicles, to infrastructure like traffic lights and buildings, and to the cloud. Benefits would come in just about every area of transit, from avoiding accidents, to getting medical workers to an accident more quickly, to improving the flow of traffic during rush hour.

Check out the press release below for details on what Ford wants to learn from the JUSTIN Humanoid and NASA Robonaut R2, and a video of technical leader Oleg Gusikhin discussing his interest in the project.

Continue reading Ford looks to space robots to improve car-to-car communications [w/video]

Ford looks to space robots to improve car-to-car communications [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 21 Aug 2013 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Own your own copy of the Road & Track Special: The Space Edition

Filed under: Etc.

Road & Track Space Edition cover The crew from Road & Track recently teamed up with NASA astronaut Drew Feustel to create a special-edition issue of the magazine to commemorate STS-134. Along with the infamous April Fools features on both the space shuttle Endeavour and the NASA Crawler, Feustel picked out a handful of his favorite R&T stories from the magazine’s illustrious past.

Those include an epic muscle car shoot out from 1967 that covered the Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and the Plymouth Barracuda as well as a stack of choice Peter Egan columns. Feustel also threw in a piece on the Lamborghini Miura S from 1988 as well as another article on the Austin-Healey Sprite 1100 from 1963. All told, the collection sounds like the best of Road & Track history.

A copy of the issue is currently circling above Earth on Endeavour right now, but you can order up a terrestrial copy for your own enjoyment from the Road & Track site. Tell them we sent you.

Own your own copy of the Road & Track Special: The Space Edition originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 May 2011 18:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Geneva 2011: Renault R-Space is near-term look at the future of MPVs

Filed under: Concept Cars, Minivan/Van, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Renault

renault r-space

Renault R-Space concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

Renault wants to design vehicles that fit into various cycles of its consumers’ lives, and to that end, the R-Space concept is the vehicle that you will need once you start a family.

The Cash Cab-like interior is designed to make transporting children an easy task. In what is perhaps its most interesting and showcar-like features, no fewer than 27 small motors control height-adjustable hexahedron-shaped platforms in the rear of the R-Space. Those motors can be can be modulated to produce a flat space, booster seat, table or a freestyle area for children to sit and play. From our vantage point, the rear area looks like a bar graph come to life (check our galleries below to see what we mean).

When the rear area is transformed back into a section for seating, the R-Space can get underway. Power is provided by a tiny 900-cubic centimeter three-cylinder engine (that’s .9 liters), which makes use of direct-injection and a turbocharger. The unit is good for 110-horsepower and 118 pound-feet of torque, with that power being funneled to the wheels via a dual-clutch gearbox. The handsome MPV is also green – it also produces just 95 g/km of CO2 while achieving 64 miles per gallon.

Gallery: Renault R-Space concept: Geneva 2011

Gallery: Renault R-Space Concept

Continue reading Geneva 2011: Renault R-Space is near-term look at the future of MPVs

Geneva 2011: Renault R-Space is near-term look at the future of MPVs originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Renault R-Space concept spotted looking sideways

Filed under: Concept Cars, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Videos, Hatchback, Renault

Renault R-Space Concept

Renault R-Space Concept – Click above to watch video after the jump

Thanks to some, um, crafty camera work we’ve got our first glimpse at the Renault R-Space Concept set to debut at next month’s Geneva Motor Show. Renault has been suspiciously quiet about what we can expect from the model once the sheets get yanked back, but according to CarAdvice, the concept rides on the same platform as the Megane. That may mean the French automaker has plans to turn out a production version of its Switzerland-bound concept, and if true, buyers may find the hatchback’s 1.6-liter turbo-diesel under the hood churning out around 161 horsepower.

Judging from the quick clip, it looks like the concept will wear some fittingly outrageous design cues, including a windshield that works its way through to the vehicle’s roof and a few LED highlights nestled down low in the front fascia. Those wild rocker panels help give the R-Space Concept the appearance of a much taller ride height, and the kinked hip-line lends a hint of crossover to the whole shebang. Hit the jump to check out the clip for yourself.

[Source: CarAdvice]

Continue reading Video: Renault R-Space concept spotted looking sideways

Video: Renault R-Space concept spotted looking sideways originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Kia travels through space and time, returns to the Super Bowl

Filed under: Sedan, Marketing/Advertising, Kia

2011 Kia Optima Epic Ride

2011 Kia Optima is an object of desire across time and space – Click above for high-res image gallery

Kia had a strong 2010 and the Korean automaker hopes that momentum is continued right through 2011. No doubt, the all-new 2011 Kia Optima is one vehicle that will be a cornerstone for the brand if it is to keep up its recent success. No rusprise, then, that Kia is unveiling a new 60-second ad spot highlighting its midsize sedan during the first quarter of the Super Bowl.

Entitled “One Epic Ride,” the commercial features the 2011 Optima as it “travels through time and space.” The car becomes an object of desire for cops, aliens, an international villain and even the Greek god Poseidon.

Further pushing the Optima messaging to the masses is the One Epic Contest. In the days preceding the Super Bowl, Kia will reveal a series of clues by way of TV spots, print ads and social media posts. The clues will then be used to answer questions at the OneEpicContest.com website, and five lucky winners will walk away with a brand new 2011 Kia Optima of their very own. Check out the complete press release after the break.

Gallery: Kia Optima goes on One Epic Ride

[Source: Kia]

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Kia travels through space and time, returns to the Super Bowl originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 16:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Japanese man builds $500,000 house in single parking space

Filed under: Etc., Japan, Videos, Humor

Parking Space House

A house built in the area of a parking space – Click above to watch video after the jump

As Americans, our concept of a normal-sized home has grown by leaps and bounds over the decades. In her book Living Large, author Sarah Wexler says that the average home size in the U.S. grew from 983 square feet in 1950 to 2,349 square feet in 2004, and it doesn’t look to be shrinking any time soon. It’s not like that everywhere. Just look at what ingenious architects in Japan are up to. With both space and funds at a minimum, builders and property owners alike are looking to get the most out of every square foot, even going so far as to build a two-person home on the same footprint as an average-sized parking space.

To make it happen, designers have employed a number of space-saving tricks, including a triangular spiral staircase that decreases the minimum radius needed for going up and appliances that are stashed under counters and in unique cubbies. Doesn’t sound like a bad way to go, if you ask us. Hit the jump to see a video of the house for yourself.

[Source: CNN]

Continue reading Video: Japanese man builds $500,000 house in single parking space

Video: Japanese man builds $500,000 house in single parking space originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 20 Nov 2010 17:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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