Magazine Articles - SAE Mobilus
Treat foundational AV safety like seatbelts - make it non-proprietary and universal. An open safety stack, shared scenarios, benchmarks, and core validation tools can speed certification, reduce duplicated V&V and build public trust while preserving vendor differentiation. The bottleneck isn't compute - it's verification. Autonomous features are shipping in more vehicles and markets, but the gating factor is no longer raw compute. It's whether developers and regulators can verify systems against requirements and validate them against real-world operating design domains (ODDs) with confidence and repeatability. Today, many safety-critical components, from scenario libraries to pass/fail criteria, live in proprietary silos. That fragmentation slows regression testing, complicates regulator audits across regions, and duplicates effort across the industry. The result is an expensive, bespoke path to certification for every program and geography.
CES provided Bosch with another high-profile chance - as it did with its Super Bowl ads in 2025 and in 2026 - to expand its reach with non-industry customers through a livestreamed press conference that touched on power tools and home appliances. Tanja Rueckert, a member of Bosch's board of management, said that Bosch's expertise “bridges a gap that many others struggle to cross: the divide between the physical and the digital.” This advantage, she said, turned the company into an AI leader, with over 2,000 AI patents and a plan to have invested over 2.5 billion euros in AI by the end of 2027. On the automotive front, Bosch's efforts to connect the digital and physical worlds can be seen in a meaningful update to its Vehicle Motion Management system. The system now has capabilities that will let it control a vehicle's movement in six degrees of movement, which should minimize motion sickness, especially in automated driving vehicles. Bosch's hardware-agnostic software solution manages
The rise of electric trucks in the U.S. is undeniable. Despite shifting federal regulations and sentiment, 13,000 electric trucks remain on the road in the U.S. today, and 17 states have devised an action plan to work toward 100% electric medium- to heavy-duty vehicle sales by 2050. A part of this action plan is California, a state that has enacted aggressive policies for EV fleet adoption over the past decade. However, with the increase in EV adoption comes heightened demand for EV chargers, challenging the current infrastructure of the United States. Interstate 15, running from San Diego, California, to the Canadian border in Montana, is a major passage for trucks completing deliveries on the West Coast. The increasing number of electric trucks creates a growing need to implement more reliable public EV chargers along I-15, once a charging desert and major pain point for EV fleet operators in this part of the country.
Visitors to Las Vegas are down. According to a year-to-date summary released by the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, the number of people who visited the desert city through November 2025 was down 7.4% compared to 2024. Convention attendance was also lower in 2025 compared to the previous year. Many outlets report that a big reason for the drop is fewer international tourists - particularly from Canada - due to U.S. trade policies. The word from some fellow journalists who attended CES in early January is that this trend is continuing into 2026. Jack Roberts of Heavy-Duty Trucking wrote, “I've never seen the city as empty and listless as it was during my time there this year… And the show floor at CES - while still crowded - was noticeably less jam-packed than past years.”
Like many from Poland, Tomasz Łuczyński moved to the UK for better wages. Following Poland's joining of the UE in 2004, hundreds of thousands of people from Poland have settled in the United Kingdom. Currently, over 1% of the UK population is Polish. But Tomasz Łuczyński didn't stick around. After working in a facility that remanufactured automotive parts, he returned to Poland to start his own large-vehicle parts refurbishing company, Elerte. Poland has a history of rebuilding. Much of Warsaw needed to be rebuilt after the Nazis razed the city following an uprising of the Polish people. The country's break from communism in the late '80s and early '90s required the entire system to be rejiggered into a market economy. As of 2024, the country's GDP is 21st in the world. To see how Poland is increasing its stake in the world of automotive suppliers and technology, I visited a wide range of individually owned and government-funded companies and research facilities to where the country is
RF and fiber have long co-existed within modern military and aerospace systems, with each medium dedicated to separate, mission-critical roles. Increasingly, however, system designers are turning to RF-over-fiber (RFoF) architectures to bridge the gap between over-the-air RF interfaces and the long, interference-resistant transport advantages of fiber. When it comes to over-the-air communications uses like tactical radio or satellite communications terminals, radio frequency (RF) is still the dominant signal format. RF is also commonly used at the front end of radar and electronic warfare, supporting search, tracking, fire control radar, missile seekers, jammers and electronic support measures.
The DarkSky One is a concept of a concept car. It doesn't physically exist, but a lot of thought went into the design, which was intended to create the first car with nighttime driving front-of-mind. SAE Media spoke with Ruskin Hartley, CEO and executive director of DarkSky International, the group behind the car, at the 2026 Detroit Auto Show, where the DS One was introduced.
With plenty of references to national security and international competition, the University of Arkansas held the grand opening of MUSiC, the first multiuser silicon carbide (SiC) fabrication facility in the U.S. in mid-November. Helmed by Dr. H. Alan Mantooth, the founding director of the UA Power Group (UAPG), the new MUSiC facility will expand the UAPG's capabilities thanks in part to $20 million in funding from the National Science Foundation's Mid-scale Research Infrastructure-1 Program (Mid-scale RI-1), with additional support from the ARL's Army Research Office and X-FAB. Congressman Steve Womack (R) made it clear that, even when the federal government is pulling back funding for research efforts across the country, he still supports the work at MUSiC. “This facility is vital,” Womack said during MUSiC's opening ceremony. “Vital to our nation, vital to our national security, vital to our economic development, and we're in a fast-paced cavalry battle right now with near peers
The advanced construction equipment packing the convention center halls and surrounding lots will understandably be the stars of the triennial CONEXPO trade show, taking place March 3-7 in Las Vegas. But the latest technologies in fluid power and motion control that help those machines operate efficiently will also command attention from showgoers. The Bosch Rexroth mobile hydraulics team will be on-site in a joint booth with partner HydraForce (Booth S80245), showcasing their current product portfolio. Rafael Cardoso, Bosch Rexroth engineering manager, mobile systems and software, expects to have conversations about advanced control and automation, “focused on the demand for smarter, software-driven control strategies that enhance precision, productivity, downtime reduction and operator assistance features.”
For any fleet or logistics manager, the specter of a downed Class 8 truck is a constant concern. The costs aren't just in parts and labor; they're in lost productivity, missed deadlines and potential damage to your reputation. While many factors can sideline a heavy-duty vehicle, one of the most persistent and costly culprits is hydraulic system failure. These failures often trace back to a single, preventable issue: contamination.
Pyrovalves (also known as pyrotechnic valves) have long been a staple in defense systems, particularly in missile and munition launcher applications. The rapid growth of counter-UAS and missile defense systems makes this an ideal time to explore smarter alternatives to pyrovalves. One of the largest ongoing U.S. military efforts is the Missile Defense Agency's (MDA) Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) Multiple Award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. In December, MDA issued two tranches of SHIELD awards to more than 2,100 companies, including major defense contractors and startups such as Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, Boeing, Shield AI, Anduril, and Virtualitics.
Rolls-Royce has successfully tested the world's first high-speed marine engine powered exclusively by methanol on its test bench in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The company began this engine-development journey six years ago when it gathered experts to determine what the future fuel of the maritime industry should be, according to Denise Kurtulus, senior vice president of global marine at Rolls-Royce. “For us, it's clear. It's methanol,” she said. Rolls-Royce worked with industry partners as part of the joint project meOHmare, which is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. Injection system specialist Woodward L'Orange and the WTZ Roßlau technology and research center contributed their expertise. Their goal was to not only develop a comprehensive concept for a CO2-neutral marine engine based on green methanol, but also to run it on the test bench by the end of 2025.
How engineers can ensure safety, reliability and quality in aerospace systems. Courbevoie, Île-de-France In an industry where failure is not an option and precision is paramount, aerospace manufacturers and suppliers are constantly seeking components and system solutions that deliver trusted reliability, performance, and compliance. Industry standards are a key part of achieving these high expectations, bringing together global leaders in the mobility industries to create defined, repeatable methods and consistent processes. One of these aerospace standards is AS1895 developed by SAE International - a critical standard due to the need for durable components that can withstand extreme conditions and offer high performance: high-temperature resistance, pressure sealing, and long service life with a cost-effective installation method. Leading aerospace companies such as Eaton and Honeywell have been manufacturing components that meet this standard for a long period of time.
Experts offer their outlook on the future of heavy-duty internal combustion engines, and of course artificial intelligence will play a role. Internal combustion engines will continue to be the prime power for key sectors of the global economy. Future engine designs will be heavily influenced by artificial intelligence (AI) and the ecosystem of engine operation. New combustion strategies will deliver more efficiency and lower emissions, while hybrid technology and renewable fuels will be a substantial influence. These are among the key conclusions made by Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Engine Technology Forum, during the “Engine Design for the Next 20 Years” webinar hosted by Truck & Off-Highway Engineering. Schaeffer was joined on the expert panel by Venu Gupta, who leads engine product strategy and power solutions planning at John Deere, and Mihai Dorobantu, Ph.D., director of technology, planning and government affairs for Eaton's Mobility Group. The webinar is now
Dr. Mustafa Akbulut, Professor of Chemical engineering, has teamed up with Horticultural Science Professor Luis Cisneros-Zevallos to engineer longer-lasting, bacteria-free produce.
Clean, safe water is vital for human health and well-being. It also plays a critical role in our food security, supports high-tech industries, and enables sustainable urbanization. However, detecting contamination quickly and accurately remains a major challenge in many parts of the world. A groundbreaking new device developed by researchers at the National University of Singapore (NUS) has the potential to significantly advance water quality monitoring and management.
Recent geopolitical events in Venezuela, Ukraine and other hot spots are a stark reminder that the long-term planning environment is fraught with challenges and opportunities that suppliers cannot control. The initiation of U.S. tariffs on its trading partners and various embargos also underscored that we have to be flexible in how we dole out capital and the risk we are assuming. The supply base is at the end of that chain. Any issues upstream will reverberate exponentially. It is obvious that the automotive world is re-regionalizing, and quickly. Why the concern? Some context. Until the '70s, every region essentially rowed its own boat. While there were some exports from one major region to another, there were regional OEMs that were sponsored by national governments due to job creation, tax base considerations and bragging rights. The U.S, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, South Korea and a host of others wanted to build national OEMs that could drive scale and become a global force.
When developing specialist and performance EVs, the challenge goes far beyond selecting an off-the-shelf powertrain. Each manufacturer brings unique performance targets, packaging constraints, and integration requirements. And add on the fact that no two platforms look the same. Powered by Everrati, our B2B division, engages directly with leading customers globally, capturing what they truly need from electric powertrains. Two areas emerge consistently as the most complex and variable: the electric drive unit (EDU) and the battery system.
The U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center's Aerophysics Research Facility, (ARF), fired a successful hypersonic shot to test its new rainfield simulator. U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center, Huntsville, AL Zack Perrin, ARF manager and technical lead engineer of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command (USASMDC's) Targets and Test Resources Branch of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, said ARF is SMDC's premier hypersonic flight and hypervelocity impact laboratory. Perrin said their largest gun system, the 254 mm light gas guns, or LGGs, is the fastest gun in the Army and can launch projectiles 6 inches in diameter to speeds up to 3 kilometers per second or smaller projectiles on the order of 2.7 inches in diameter to velocities exceeding 6 km/s. “I like to tell people that the facility is a gun range the size of an aircraft carrier and within the facility are multiple engineering tools, called light gas guns
A new study from NC State University combines three-dimensional embroidery techniques with machine learning to create a fabric-based sensor that can control electronic devices through touch.
Off-highway equipment operates in an environment defined by extremes - extreme loads, extreme duty cycles, extreme temperatures and extreme expectations. OEMs and fleet operators face mounting pressure to deliver more power, more uptime and more precision from platforms that are becoming increasingly compact, intelligent and complex. Whether the task is hauling, lifting, dumping, clearing or moving materials, the equipment must deliver consistent, reliable performance without compromise. This pressure is reshaping the mobile-hydraulic ecosystem. The industry is steadily shifting away from piecemeal systems and toward integrated, intelligent power architectures that maximize efficiency across the entire vehicle. Leaders in this space, Eaton among them, demonstrate how a system-level approach to PTOs, hydraulic pumps and control valves is enabling a new generation of off-highway innovation.
With the rise of AI and other new digital technologies on the horizon, ACT Expo 2026 will be a crucial intersection for industry leaders to map out the route ahead. Since 2011, ACT Expo has served as a meeting point of technology and business discussions for the commercial vehicle industry. The 2026 show in Las Vegas (www.actexpo.com) is shaping up to be another important waypoint for the industry as it continues to grapple with new technologies, regulations and other significant challenges. This year's agenda program builds on ACT Expo's long-established emphasis on clean transportation and places an increased focus on the digital frontier, including AI, autonomy, connectivity and software-defined vehicles. Truck & Off-Highway Enginering interviewed Erik Neandross, president of the Clean Transportation Solutions group at TRC, about what topics are emerging as the main trends heading into 2026 and what he thinks will be some of the most important themes of the upcoming convention.
Commercial success of the autonomous truck may be closer than we think. The last half decade has brought the best of times and worst of times for the commercial autonomous truck sector. While some perceived pillars of this technology have fallen, others have continued to carry the weight of bringing driverless trucks closer to commercialization. Consolidation was inevitable given the volume of speculative investment that brought a tidal wave of capital to various startups. Even so, some industry experts and Wall Street investors wondered if the autonomous truck sector might collapse entirely.
Between the 1920s and 1930s, aluminum started replacing wood as the primary material in aircraft construction and soon became the backbone of modern aviation. Its popularity stemmed from a combination of properties, high strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and ease of forming that made it ideal for demanding aerospace applications. Throughout much of the 20th century, high-strength aluminum alloys dominated aircraft design, accounting for 70-80 percent of commercial airframes and more than half of many military aircraft. Even after the introduction of fiber-polymer composites in the early 2000s, aluminum has remained a critical material because it continues to offer the strength, lightness, and versatility needed for modern aviation. Industry forecasts predict that commercial air travel will double in the next 25 years, which means more pollution will be released into the atmosphere. One way to help reduce these emissions is by building airplane fuselages and wings with
Carbon fiber-reinforced polymers (CFRPs) have become essential in modern aerospace structures, from fuselage skins and wing components to nacelles, interior structures, and a growing range of primary load-bearing parts. Their high strength-to-weight ratio delivers major benefits in fuel efficiency, payload capacity, and fatigue performance. Yet achieving reliable adhesive bonds on CFRP surfaces remains a persistent engineering challenge. The low intrinsic surface energy of composites - particularly under thermal cycling, vibration, and moisture exposure - limits bond durability unless surfaces are properly prepared. Plasma surface treatment has emerged as a pivotal solution, offering a fast, controllable, and non-destructive way to increase surface energy, improve wettability, and enhance adhesion across complex geometries. This is especially important as the aerospace industry transitions from thermoset to thermoplastic composites (TPCs), which enable faster processing, lower
NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) Program and the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, have successfully tested wideband technology that allows spacecraft to communicate with both government and commercial networks for the first time. Launched July 23, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission, the Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT) is demonstrating multilingual wideband terminal technology. Hosted on a satellite from York Space Systems, PExT enhances a spacecraft's communications subsystem, enabling mission controllers to track and exchange data more efficiently across a broad range of networks and frequencies.
As electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft move closer to commercial reality, companies and engineers are turning to advanced modeling and simulation tools to address some of their most complex design challenges earlier in development. During a recent interview with Aerospace & Defense Technology, Paul Barnard, Application Engineering Manager, MathWorks, provided insights on how the advanced air mobility (AAM) sector is tackling the complexities of eVTOL systems design, with a focus on batteries, avionics and other critical systems.
Green hydrogen, produced through water electrolysis, is a next-generation eco-friendly energy source as it does not generate pollutants like carbon dioxide during production. Catalysts play a crucial role in the water electrolysis process, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen. The efficiency of green hydrogen production largely depends on the performance of these catalysts. Therefore, the commercialization of green hydrogen hinges on the development of cost-effective catalysts capable of maintaining high performance over extended periods.
Scientists used a “smart” shirt equipped with an electrocardiogram to track participants’ heart-rate recovery after exercise and developed a tool for analyzing the data to predict those at higher or lower risk of heart-related ailments.
It all started when Owen Kent and Todd Roberts became roommates at the University of California Berkeley. Owen has muscular dystrophy and had recently acquired a robotic arm, which he noticed he was using to do range of motion. Todd had come to Berkeley to study mechanical engineering with a focus on biomechanics, and both were enrolled in Designing for the Human Body, a biomechanics course taught by Mechanical Engineering Professor Grace O’Connell.
One of the biggest goals for companies in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) is developing “agentic” systems. These metaphorical agents can perform tasks without a guiding human hand. This parallels the goals of the emerging urban air mobility industry, which hopes to bring autonomous flying vehicles to cities around the world. One company wants to do both and got a head start with some help from NASA.
Cornell researchers and collaborators have developed a neural implant so small that it can rest on a grain of salt, yet it can wirelessly transmit brain activity data in a living animal for more than a year.
Trying to document how single brain cells participate in networks that govern behavior is a daunting task. Brain probes called Neuropixels, which feature high-density silicon arrays, have enabled scientists to collect electrophysiological data of this nature from a variety of animals. These include fish, reptiles, rodents, and primates, as well as humans.
When Thierry Piéton stepped into the role of executive vice president and chief financial officer of Medtronic earlier this year, he entered one of the largest and most complex organizations in the medical technology industry. Yet, despite that complexity and the company’s recent years of uneven performance, Piéton says he came in with conviction. Medtronic, in his view, is sitting on the edge of a long-awaited inflection point.
Researchers have pioneered a 3D printing method that grows metals and ceramics inside a water-based gel, resulting in exceptionally dense, yet intricate constructions for next-generation biomedical technologies.
Since the advent of laser-based imaging techniques in the early 2000s, image acquisition has faced a fundamental challenge: the imaging speed and signal averaging was directly tied to the firing rate of the laser. Because a minimum of one laser pulse generates a single data point, traditional flashlamp-based lasers operating at relatively low repetition rates were constrained in their ability to capture fine spatial or temporal detail quickly. For applications requiring real-time analysis or high-resolution mapping, these limitations often reduced the practicality of otherwise powerful imaging technologies.
MD&M West, an MD&M Event February 3–5, 2026 Anaheim Convention Center – Anaheim, CA
Current world conflicts have proven that drones are now indispensable tools in modern warfare. Whether for reconnaissance, loitering munitions, or asymmetric tactics that exploit vulnerabilities in conventional defenses, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) are redefining the rules of engagement.
In complete darkness, through smoke, glare and fog, thermal infrared (IR) imaging is indispensable for modern defense and autonomous systems. Enabling autonomous vehicles (AVs) to detect pedestrians or threats at night or providing critical sensing capabilities for unmanned aerial vehicles and counter-UAS operations, thermal imaging has become the essential “eyes” when visible camera systems fail.
In neurology, a quiet crisis has emerged: the supply of specialists can no longer meet the rising demand for diagnostic interpretation.
Researchers are exploring new ways to utilize microwave technology in monitoring and assessing health conditions. The results of experiments conducted with realistic models are promising. Bras that detect breast cancer, leg sleeves that identify blood clots, and a helmet that monitors the effects of radiation therapy offer a glimpse into what future healthcare might look like.
Without reliability and signal integrity, aerospace communications risk severe signal degradation and reduced security, posing risks to both personnel and mission-critical data. These challenges are particularly critical for applications that depend on military aircraft, satellite communications, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). As global demand for real-time data continues to surge, communication infrastructure requires regular maintenance and upgrades to maintain secure and reliable performance.
EPFL researchers have invented a remarkably small and ultraflexible neurovascular microcatheter. Powered by blood flow, it can safely navigate the most intricately branched arteries in a matter of seconds.
Engineers have developed a next-generation wearable system that enables people to control machines using everyday gestures — even while running, riding in a car, or floating on turbulent ocean waves.
Bioelectronics, such as implantable health monitors or devices that stimulate brain cells, are not as soft as the surrounding tissues due to their metal electronic circuits. A team of scientists has developed a soft polymer hydrogel that can conduct electricity as well as metal can. As the material is both flexible and soft, it is more compatible with sensitive tissues. This finding has the potential for a large number of applications, for example, in biocompatible sensors and in wound healing.
EPFL researchers have engineered a fiber-based electronic sensor that remains functional even when stretched to over 10 times its original length. The device holds promise for smart textiles, physical rehabilitation devices, and soft robotics.
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