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Pothole app gets goverment backing

A NEW SMARTPHONE APP to report potholes has been given backing by the government. The Department for Transport has given £30,000 to help develop the app, which has been launched by the Cyclists’ Touring Club (CTC). The app is part of the CTC’s ‘Fill That Hole’ pothole reporting website.

NHTSA to study power-steering complaints in the Toyota Corolla

U.S. highway safety officials will begin a formal investigation into electric power steering complaints in the Toyota Corolla, a person familiar with the plan said. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study will focus on vehicles from the 2009 and 2010 model years, said the person, an agency representative who didn't want to be identified before an announcement is made.

MIT develops self-transforming materials that behave 'like robots without robots'

A cross-disciplinary research lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a suite of programmable materials, including carbon fiber, printed wood grain, textile composites, rubbers and plastics, that self-transform when exposed to an external stimulus. Director of the Self-Assembly Lab, Skylar Tibbits, presented a TED talk on 4D printing in 2013, where he demonstrated how a flat sheet of material could effectively build itself when exposed to water, like a robot without a robot. Following positive feedback from industries including aviation, automotive and manufacturing, his lab has been working on developing materials that change according to different activation sources, including heat, light, and air pressure, in addition to water – all of which have automotive relevance.