To celebrate the end of the century, we listed in the February 1, 1999 issue of Design News the major breakthroughs of the last one hundred years in aerospace engineering. Next up: the engineering accomplishments in that other major technology driver, the automotive industry. Among the major automotive-engineering milestones:
1901--Olds' Curved Dash Runabout, the first car built on a progressive assembly line. 1908--The Model T offers left-hand-side steering.
1911--Charles Kettering develops the electric self starter.
1915--The Dodge brothers launch a new car with an all-steel body.
1928--Cadillac introduces 165-mph V-16 engine.
1938--Bosch Corp. applies for first ABS patent.
1940--Olds has first automatic transmission.
1952--Olds, Cadillac, and Buick offer power steering.
1964--Olds Toronado is first U.S. car with front-wheel drive since 1937.
1967--VW debuts electronic fuel injection.
1978--GM uses first automotive microprocessor in a trip-mileage computer.
1986--Corvette is first U.S. car with anti-lock brake system.
1996--GM introduces the EV1.
These are some of the technical breakthroughs in the automotive world. Naturally, there were plenty of other developments in that vibrant industry which has so thoroughly defined our modern society. Some are personal. For example, who could forget their first car? Mine was a 1952 Dodge with fluid drive (no, I wasn't 16 in 1952, I just bought an old car!). Fluid-drive technology was a precursor to fully automatic transmissions: If you didn't want to shift--or weren't good with a clutch--it would change gears on its own without stalling or bucking. Great for impressing other teenagers with my "advanced" driving skills. The technology has had a rebirth of sorts in Chrysler's AutoStick® Transmission Control System, which, though certainly different from fluid drive, lets the driver override the transmission's computerized logic and change from automatic to manual.
As energy efficiency becomes more and more a concern for makers of electronics devices, researchers are coming up with new ways to harvest energy from sound vibration, footsteps, and even electromagnetic fields in the air.
The government wants to study your brain, and DARPA wants to use similar information to give robots true autonomy beyond any artificial intelligence developed to date. Sound like science fiction? It's not.
By refining topologies and using new fluid technology, Moog's new peak sine drive controller increases available power without increasing controller volume.
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A quick look into the merger of two powerhouse 3D printing OEMs and the new leader in rapid prototyping solutions, Stratasys. The industrial revolution is now led by 3D printing and engineers are given the opportunity to fully maximize their design capabilities, reduce their time-to-market and functionally test prototypes cheaper, faster and easier. Bruce Bradshaw, Director of Marketing in North America, will explore the large product offering and variety of materials that will help CAD designers articulate their product design with actual, physical prototypes. This broadcast will dive deep into technical information including application specific stories from real world customers and their experiences with 3D printing. 3D Printing is
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