turbodiesel
Latest
BMW's i3 and i8 prototypes caught on camera in garish attire
It was just a few weeks ago that BMW launched its new brand, simply called "i," and pledged two new electrified cars would be coming to save us from both the perils of pollution and the danger of boring commutes. Now here they are, spotted in the wild wearing the company's usual swirly vinyl, which is doing its best to hide those decidedly distinct curves -- and failing miserably, if we're honest. Both the i3 hatch (below) and i8 sportscar (above) were obviously doing some winter testing, and we'd say that the smile on the face of the passenger in the i8 is a good sign that the four-seater with 62MPG rating and a 0 - 62 time of 4.8 seconds will be fun to drive. Or fun to ride in, at least.
CMU's Crusher military bot rumbles onto the scene
Although not quite as stealthy as some of the other spybots that we've seen, the 6.5-ton Crusher UGCV (Unmanned Ground Combat Vehicle), with its 8,000-pound payload and one-kilometer range, is certainly more versatile than your typical robosnake or Packbot. Unveiled today by the National Robotics Engineering Center (NREC) at Carnegie Mellon's School of Computer Science's Robotics Institute, Crusher, like its predecessor Spinner, was commissioned by DARPA to provide combat troops with a durable cargo and surveillance option that can operate mostly autonomously even in rough terrain. Crusher is powered by a series of electric motors whose batteries are charged with a turbo diesel generator -- giving it a top speed of 26 miles-per-hour -- and manages to avoid obstacles using an array of cameras and ladar lidar. Although its first two years of service will be restricted to support role duties, Army and DARPA officials will use Crusher's performance during the probationary period to evaluate its potential use in combat as well. [Warning: PDF link]
