Engineers went back to the horse-drawn carriage to find inspiration for a system that stops cars more quickly than conventional brakes. A sliding wedge is used to jam the brake pad against the wheel, much like traditional carriage brakes. The electronic actuators that operate the wedge react more quickly than the hydraulics in conventional brakes, the system’s developer Siemens VDO claims.
Sony’s robotic dog Aibo has had an upgrade, giving it a short-term memory, the power of speech and the ability to compose a blog. Aibo can now remember where its favourite place is, or where it left its fluffy pink ball, at least for 5…
