#Future

Toyota, the world’s most successful hybrid maker, recently released an advertisement showing what a world of the future would be like with outdated automobiles.

Pump up your tires and pump up your tank, there’s a new kind of fuel in town thanks to the Dearman Engine Company.

Well, that’s not totally true. The fuel is actually air in liquid form, so it isn’t actually new, but the London-based company that formed just under a year ago has managed to develop an engine that runs on it.

The system works by storing air at -256 degrees Fahrenheit in a tank before pumping it into a cylinder with what Dearman calls a heat exchange fluid. Once inside the chamber, the liquid air rapidly expands to propel the piston in the same fashion as a traditional internal combustion engine. The coolest part is that the system’s exhaust only emits air.

Tech stories about revolutionary new systems aren’t all that rare and they usually end by essentially saying “it’s really cool, but don’t expect it to ever be mainstream” and while that’s probably still the case here, Dearman is quick to point out that their motor relies solely on existing materials.

Truth be told, the air is actually just an energy catalyst. That means automotive applications would require a secondary power source to keep the tank chilled. It also seems that liquid air used as fuel would slowly disappear from cars that sat for a long time.

The system is currently being tested for real-world feasibility, but if it proves to be a workable system we speculate that it could play into a new gasoline or electric hybrid drivetrain somewhere in the future. If it ever happens, you could be “gassing up” with an air compressor while you check tire pressure. Watch the video after the jump to learn more.

[Source: CNET]

What will Manhattan look like in 2030? Get your multipasses ready, because Audi has an idea—it’ll be green, multicultural, and certainly involve four rings.
Opening at the New Museum at the Bowery, the exhibit brings designers, architects, and artists together to form a unified vision of what life will be like in less than 20 years, with five prominent New York architecture firms concentrating on one section of the island. The exhibit features a 1:1200 rendering of the Manhattan of 2030, with an Inception-like rendering of the island folding upon itself.

Some say he dated Princess Leia, that he once punched Neil Armstrong in a bar fight, and he’s deathly afraid of the Canadarm. All we know is, he’s called Robonaut 2.

This 300 lb. robot, developed by NASA and General Motors, will blast into space as part of mission STS-133 aboard the space shuttle Discovery slated for September. Robonaut 2 is merely a head, two arms, and torso — but was created as a robotic assistant that can work alongside humans.  Robonaut 2 can use human tools, and in the future will be adapted to confront the harsh environment of a space walk. But where, exactly, does General Motors fit into all of this?

GM says its manufacturing engineering team is already working to identify potential applications for R2’s array of vision, motion and sensor technologies that will assist workers in manufacturing operations.

“Our strategy is to develop technologies that can fundamentally change the way we manufacture cars and trucks”, said Kenneth D. Knight, executive director GM Manufacturing Assembly & Automation Center.  “This includes a focus on developing ways to further support our operators.”

We have a better idea: create a second Robonaut 2 and send it to the moon, along with another lunar rover. General Motors helped NASA make the first rover, and we think a 24/7 “Lunar Race Network” would be the perfect antidote to ever-so-boring home decorating shows.