The inaugural World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) begins next month, taking over from the highly successful European Touring Car Championship, which has provided some of the most exciting motorsport in the world over the last eight years, and lifts touring racing up to the same level as the World Formula One Championship and the World Rally Championship.  Read More

BMW Motorrad hasn't wasted any time in getting its performance-oriented K1200R at the forefront of motorcycle competition, and is replacing the popular BMW BoxerCup that is run in conjunction with each European MotoGP round with a series based on K1200R racers. Powering the new one-make championship is a race honed version of the K 1200 R with some added carbon fibre aerodynamic enahncements and an even warmer version of the bike producing 175 bhp (129 kW).  Read More

Looking for all the world like a flying shark, Schiebel's next-generation Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Camcopter S-100 was shown for the first time at the recent International Defence Expo. The Camcopter S-100 is a medium -range, medium endurance VTOL UAV system designed to provide a unique balance between advanced capabilities and operation in tactical environments. The remarkable potential in both civilian and military applications for unmanned autonomous helicopters was previously detailed in our Yamaha RMAX UAV story, though the Schiebel Camcopter's focus is primarily military.  Read More

The Ford Sport Trac Adrenalin is a high-performance sport-utility truck (SUT) and will effectively launch its own category when it goes on sale in the United States in 2007. The Adrenalin comes with a full-house of functionality - a supercharged, 390-horsepower V-8, a six-speed automatic transmission, SVT-tuned fully independent suspension, all-wheel-drive , the utility of a pick-up and room for four. The Adrenalin showcases Ford's plans to produce in 2007 the first sport truck offering the combination of uncompromised utility, four-passenger capability and true performance. Along with the Ford Shelby Cobra GT500 - which will go on sale in 2006 - Adrenalin will continue SVT's product momentum that has been growing since the introduction of the acclaimed Ford GT super car in 2004.  Read More

Finnish company FogScreen has begun volume production of its unique walk-through projection screen. The FogScreen Inia screen projects high-quality images onto a thin laminar air flow of water vapour. The FogScreen feels dry and cool to the touch and accordingly creates an effect of the computer generated images floating in thin air and can hence be used in the development of special effects displays and airborne advertising media, walk-through or drive-through posters and is expected to be used as a high impact advertising medium in malls, airports and mass audience events. There have already been enquiries from Hollywood production companies and "we expect the creative possibilities will inspire those in entertainment," said Nancy Gretzinger of Fogscreen's US distributor Imagex. "Beyond that, we are also looking at point-of-sale advertising, corporate lobbies, and other areas that could benefit from the innovative communication," she said. A recent innovation added to the package is interactivity, making it possible to draw in the air using an array of visual effects such as fiery characters or fireworks.  Read More

A second win in two races for the Mild Seven Renault F1 Team at the Malaysian Grand Prix was the major news, but close behind Renault’s win at Sepang was the performance of Toyota, which finally appears to have arrived as a force in Formula One. Panasonic Toyota Racing scored its debut podium position after a "Trulli" outstanding drive from Jarno ensured he comfortably ended the grueling 56-lap race in 2nd position. A determined drive from Ralf Schumacher made it two cars in the top five for toyota, a total of 12 world championship points and second place in the constructors' championship.  Read More

This was the first the world saw of BMW’s new K1200R roadster muscle bike when the machine made its world debut at the Intermot motorcycle show late last year – almost certainly the first time the image-savvy BMW brand managers have ever condoned one of their roadgoing vehicles to be displayed in such vulgar hoon-like behaviour. When the smoke cleared, we could see why. Using the same donk built for the K1200S ultra high performance sports machine, the K1200R is quite unlike anything we’ve ever seen from the normally understated German marque. The aggressively-styled unfaired street bike has 163 bhp and an uncompromising “street fighter” attitude.  Read More

The process of designing and building aeroplanes is a complex task as Boeing’s development of the super-efficient 787 Dreamliner amply demonstrates. The 787 Dreamliner uses composite fuselage sections built as full barrels to reduce the number of parts and improve aerodynamic performance and fuel efficiency. So they had to design and build a new plane to carry the parts from their points of manufacturer all over the world. The pregnant-looking Large Cargo Freighter is a modified 747-400 that will serve as the primary means of transporting major assemblies to the 787 Dreamliner final assembly site in Everett, Washington.  Read More

The Intel Science Talent Search (Intel STS) is America's oldest and most prestigious high school science competition and as Intel CEO Craig Barrett said when awarding the prizes, "we look forward each year to uncovering new scientific and mathematical talent, and each year we're rewarded with an outstanding array of students whose ability to explore, imagine and discover absolutely amazes us." Amazing? You bet! Read on to find out just how amazing you have to be to score a finalist position  Read More