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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.

Interior Motives Design Awards 2012

At a glamorous awards ceremony at the Espace Clacquesin in Paris earlier this evening, the world's top designers and automotive journalists gathered together to watch sponsors Peugeot and Volkswagen reveal the 2012 Interior Motives Student Design of the Year: ‘Autopool' by Siavash Jafari Jozani and Mina Kasirifar from the University of Tehran. At the end of what was a memorable event, the two Iranian students walked away with one of the most prestigious accolades in the automotive design industry and a cash prize of $5,000. Launched earlier this year and themed ‘What Comes Next?

Lexus LF-Lc concept car (2012) is leaked early

A concept depicting what a future Lexus SC could look like has leaked early. The new Lexus LF-Lc will be shown at the 2012 Detroit auto show in January. Road & Track magazine in the US is being blamed for the leak, which has provided this low-res image of the LF-Lc.