Nissan has recently announced the latest piece of must-have kit for the iPhone – a ground-breaking self-healing iPhone case. The Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone case features the brand’s pioneering self-healing paint finish, a world first in paint technology developed in 2005 and already used on a number of Nissan and Infiniti models. Now, this ground-breaking technology has been applied to a product that’s prone to scratches through everyday use – the smartphone.

Developed by Nissan in collaboration with University of Tokyo and Advanced Softmaterials Inc., the unique Scratch Shield paint finish was initially designed for automotive use and is available on the Nissan Murano, 370Z and X-Trail along with the Infiniti range of products. Now, thanks to Nissan’s pioneering approach, this technology is being trialled for the first time on a non-automotive product in Europe.

The Scratch Shield paint is made from polyrotaxane, which has a chemical structure that is able to react and change back to its original shape and fill the gap that results from a fine scratch. Small scratches can heal in as little as an hour, while more severe scratches can take up to a week. Aside from its self-healing properties, Nissan says the Scratch Shield paint also provides a surface that is more gel-like and easier to grip than the glossy surface produced by conventional paint.

Under the outer paint layer, Nissan says it has also borrowed other automotive engineering technologies in developing the Nissan Scratch Shield iPhone case. This includes the use of ABS plastic, a high grade material widely used in the automotive industry that the company says enables a more rigid, robust and tighter-fitting case.

An initial batch of prototype Scratch Shield iPhone cases have been provided to selected journalists and customers for BETA testing and, if demand proves strong, Nissan plans to release the cases compatible with the iPhone 4 and 4S for sale to the public later this year.

The voice package was developed with the help of Sesame Workshop and Locutio Voice Technologies, and is available now for all compatible TomTom devices. There’s currently no word on whether other Sesame Street characters’ voices will be released, though more could be on the way at some point.

Among the many other voice talents available for download are Mr. T, Burt Reynolds, Yoda, and even Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson. For more voices by TomTom Click Here.

Japanese automaker, Toyota who aims to lead the future mobile world through integration of vehicle, home and information communication technologies has announced that the company will join effort with Intel to work together to define the next-generation in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) systems that will enable new usage models for mobile device connectivity in the car.

With the car becoming an extension of today’s digital lifestyle, Intel and Toyota are working together to adapt features that drivers and passengers use in the latest consumer electronic devices to an automotive environment.

“Intel has been conducting research related to the connected car for years, and with the support of Toyota, we will extend that research to advanced services that will benefit the driver and passengers in many ways,” said Staci Palmer, general manager of Intel’s Automotive Solutions Division.

“Through this joint effort, we hope to improve the driving experience by enabling a seamless connection between mobile devices and the vehicle so when brought together, they naturally adapt and work in harmony,” he added.

Intel and Toyota aim to integrate advanced technologies in the vehicle in a more intuitive manner that reduces driver distraction.

To accomplish this, the companies will focus research on developing a user interaction methodology including touch, gesture and voice technologies as well as information management for the driver.

Intel will also work to optimize these features and services using the performance of the Intel® Atom™ processor family.

The companies will also explore emerging connectivity technologies and effective ways to integrate vehicles with the home to provide a seamless connection across all areas of people’s lives.

Honda has been very silent about Asimo, its super-advanced humanoid robot, in recent years. After introducing the first version in 2000, Honda showed several versions through 2005, until the company finally took the wraps off a new version earlier today in Tokyo. This model is the thinnest, fastest, and most “intelligent” ASIMO yet.

At 48kg, the Asimo that was shown is 6kg lighter than the previous model. He now has 57 joints in his body (23 more) and walks at 9km/h (instead of 6km/h). The company has also developed a new task performing robotic arm that can be used where humans and the humanoid robot may not fit. These and future developments are now under the “Honda Robotics” collective name.

According to Honda the all-new ASIMO has taken a step forward from being an operator-controlled “automatic machine” to an “autonomous machine” with the ability to make decisions based on its surroundings, including the movements of people. For the latest model Honda engineers addressed three key factors to make ASIMO autonomous. Honda’s criteria for the next ASIMO included:

1. High level balancing ability – maintaining its posture by putting out its leg in an instant.
2. External recognition capability – takes in information, such as the movements of people, from multiple sensors and predicts the changes that may take place.
3. The ability to generate autonomous behavior – making predictions from gathered information and determine the next movement without being controlled by an operator.

Advanced intelligence capability
The latest system uses multiple sensors to predict the environment and program the robot to respond correctly. If a collision with a person of stationary object is predicted ASIMO can recalculate its path to avoid a collision. ASIMO is able to recognize faces and voices, much like the latest digital cameras and in-car infotainment systems.

Advanced physical ability
Honda engineers strengthened ASIMO’s legs and gave them increased range of movement. The newest design allows ASIMO’s leg to change course mid-step allowing it to gain a better food hold on uneven terrain or avoid a collision.

Improved task-performing ability
The engineering team created “a highly functional compact multi-fingered hand.” The new hand has tactile and force sensors in each finger and in the palm that enable ASIMO to pick up a glass bottle and remove the cap or hold a paper cup without crushing it. The new ASIMO can also make complex sign language expressions.

Task-performing robot arm
The company also created a “task performing robot arm.” The robot arm can be remotely controlled to be used in tight or dangerous spaces. It uses some of the same technologies found in ASIMO including the stability control technology and multi-joint control technology.

Check out the new ASIMO in action below.

Having designed everything from watches and suits, to men’s fragrances and hybrid bicycles, Porsche Design, the studio founded by Ferdinand Porsche in 1972, is now looking for its next challenge in the area of designer smartphones.

Porsche Design and Research in Motion (RIM), parent company of the BlackBerry brand, has announced the Porsche Design P’9981 BlackBerry smart phone and is the design firm’s first custom smart phone.

Aside from brandishing the Porsche Design logos across the top of its screen, the P’9981 employs many of the studio’s characteristic styling motifs. The frame is made from forged stainless steel, and sports a flat, though not quite brushed-metal, finish. The back cover is hand-wrapped in leather, and the QWERTY keyboard is sculpted to look sleeker, with the power and menu buttons flush with the touch screen for a streamlined look.

The P’9981 runs on the BlackBerry 7 operating system, and makes use of BlackBerry’s latest browser along with a Porsche Design-exclusive user interface. The phone is powered by a 1.2-GHz processor with HD video recording ability as well as 24-bit high-res graphics are also included on its distinguished list of features.

On-board memory is capped at 8GB, though memory is expandable up to 40GB with a micro SD card. The Wikitude World Browser augmented reality app is made possible by the phone’s various sensors and can display real-time images of the surrounding area, complete with user-generated points of interest and other interactive features.

The P’9981 will be available at Porsche Design stores later this year. The word on the street is that it will have a limited run with a retail price of around USD $2,000.

The state of Nevada has passed Bill Number 511, which authorizes executives at the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles to begin coming up with a set of rules of the road for autonomous, or self-driving, vehicles. It looks like self-driving cars may be on the road sooner than most people had thought — at least in Nevada.

This is the first step in what could be a lengthy process in getting autonomous cars, which are designed to use artificial intelligence, computer sensors and GPS instead of human drivers, on the roads.

But the move must be seen as good news to companies such as Google and General Motors, along with researchers at institutions such as Stanford, Cornell and Carnegie Mellon University. All of these organizations have been working on autonomous cars.

Google’s self-driving car reportedly logged 140,000 miles in California, driving around Lake Tahoe, across the Golden Gate Bridge and along the Pacific Coast Highway. The test were done with a trained driver and software engineer on board

Self-driving cars have been the focus of high-tech contests sponsored by U.S. government’s military research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA. The race pits teams of researchers from universities like Virginia Tech, Stanford and Cornell, against each other as they test their robotic vehicles on a long course.

Work on robotic cars has advanced to the point that one Stanford researcher said developing self-driving cars could help the U.S. auto industry take back its global leadership role, and maybe even save the industry as a whole.

Technology, specifically artificial intelligence, could revolutionize what automobiles are able to do, said Sebastian Thrun, a professor of computer science and director of the artificial intelligence laboratory at Stanford.

No word on when we can start to see Google’s automated Priuses and Audi TTs cruising around without human input, but it should be soon.

Skeptics should have a look at the video below for an explanation behind the car and see one in action. It’s pretty amazing.

The first of McLaren’s 35 dealerships set to open in 2011 opens its doors tomorrow in London’s prestigious One Hyde Park. It will be the first of 35 dealerships McLaren will open this year around the world.

Although the MP12-4C is not McLaren’s first foray into street legal super cars it will offer more than four times the sales and service support than it did with the F1 and its eight worldwide dealerships. This time instead of flying a technician to the owner of the car or service center McLaren claims it “is stocking its retail network with a spare of every serviceable part for the MP4-12C.” McLaren calls it “its ‘pit stop’ service concept that ensures fast and efficient repair.”

Good thing too because the MP4-12C is the first in a full lineup of carbon-fiber based sports cars McLaren has planned – all with higher production numbers than the F1. Production for the MP4-12C alone is planned for 1,000 units just this year – significantly higher than the F1’s production run of 106 cars over a seven year (1992-1998) period. McLaren plans to increase total production to 4,000 cars per year by mid decade when their full model lineup is complete.

Two more British dealerships will open soon: Manchester on June 30 and Birmingham on July 5. By year’s end McLaren’s dealerships will have 35 locations in 19 countries:

• Europe: UK (Birmingham, London, Manchester); Germany (Düsseldorf, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Munich); Benelux (Brussels); France (Monaco, Paris); Italy (Milan); Spain (Madrid), Switzerland (Zürich)

• North America: Canada (Toronto); USA (Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York, Miami, Newport Beach, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Tampa)

• Middle East / South Africa: UAE (Abu Dhabi, Dubai); Qatar; Saudi Arabia (Jeddah, Riyadh); Bahrain; South Africa (Johannesburg)

• Asia Pacific: Hong Kong; Singapore; Australia (Sydney); Japan (Tokyo, Osaka)

What happens when a luxury phone maker and a luxury car maker collaborate? If you lack the imagination, just look at the picture above!

Mobiado and Aston Martin have teamed up to create the most luxurious phone ever. The result of this perfect marriage is their first prototype, which features a stunning transparent display, we repeat; a stunning transparent display. According to the concept renders, the device will be Android based and “as beautiful as an Aston Martin car is expected to be”.

Titled the CPT002, the concept phone features a large, transparent glass display with slick sides of the CPT are crafted from platinum which happens to incorporate the battery, electronics, and SIM card allowing for the screen of the phone to be transparent giving the phone a simple modern look while maintaining a luxurious appearance.. Although there isn’t much technical backing on the phone, it has been planned to make this phone as exclusive as it could ever get.

Mobiado and Aston Martin have claimed to enable the phone with a connection to one’s car and its display. Users will also be able to view maps with directions to local venues and exchange photos on social networking platforms to say the least.

But what will come as standard with the CPT002?
- FourSquare will show your current location as well as the location of your friends and nearby venues all integrated on a GPS map of the Aston Martin car display, to help you plan your night and organize parking locations.

- Cameras integrated into the vehicle can be set to periodically update FaceBook and Twitter with pictures, video, and information of passing cities/landmarks during road trips, or can update your social sites in real time with your progress during race track days.

- At the time of an accident, the vehicle Airbag will receive accelerometer information from the CPT002 in the driver’s pocket. These readings will give the car information of the driver’s acceleration movement from within the car seat, allowing for more responsive control over safety deployments such as airbag sequence, timing, and seatbelt stiffening.

A true driver’s car can seem to know exactly what the driver’s thinking, but that’s really not the case in the non-fiction, non-movie life. According to the latest reports though, Ferrari is blurring the lines, developing a series of systems that will actually read a driver’s mind and body to bring the relationship between man and machine that much closer.

The technology is outlined in a series of Europe-wide and global patent applications. The documents show how Ferrari expects a range of sensors to provide the cars of the future with data on the driver, allowing it to adjust its set-up accordingly.

Ferrari describes a network of technologies that will aim to read a driver’s respiration, perspiration, blink rate, heart rate, blood pressure, cranial activity and other parameters, adjusting the stability and traction control systems of the vehicle to suit.

The in-car technology being developed is in response to one simple conclusion – the fact that drivers think their abilities are beyond what they actually are. Now we’re thinking if robots are ever to rise up and take over the world, this technology would be the frontline of that army, no?

Bosch Malaysia returns to growth and strengthens investment in 2010

In fiscal year 2009, the Bosch Group’s sales were at 38.2 billion euros worldwide, a 15% drop from 2008. With the economic recovery in 2010, the company is now making up for much of the loss of sales in 2009 and returning to positive results in 2010. In the first quarter of this year, sales were up about 25%. All in all, sales in the current fiscal year are expected to grow by more than 10%, to 42 billion euros.

For the first time, Asia Pacific contributed 20 % of the Group’s revenue in 2009, making it the second most important region for sales after Europe. Asia Pacific’s share is expected to climb to 30% by 2015.

Bosch Malaysia contributed sales revenues of RM 396 million (95 million euro) in 2009, down by 21% compared to 2008, but currently enjoying a strong 40% sales growth in the first half of this year. Including internal sales, the revenue is RM 1,118 million (268 million euro) in 2009.

“2009 was undoubtedly a very difficult year in the region and especially in Malaysia. Sales dropped in 2009, but the recovery has been fast so far. In Malaysia, Bosch is employing some 2,500 associates, which comprises more than 60% of all associates in Southeast Asia, demonstrating our strong commitment to Malaysia,” said Mr Cem Peksaglam, President and Managing Director of Robert Bosch (SEA) Pte Ltd, who is also Managing Director of Robert Bosch Sdn Bhd in Petaling Jaya.

Mr Peksaglam added, “We are looking to strengthen our presence further through expanding our production base, especially for future oriented innovative products, the establishment of a R&D company, as well as an increase of our market shares in our business fields in Malaysia.”

Ramp up of production, setup of new R&D company and investment into energy-efficient facilities in Penang
With the increased demand for vehicles, especially in Asia Pacific, automotive technology continues to make the greatest contribution to the Bosch Group’s growth.

In Malaysia and the region, Bosch is aiming to establish a strong presence in the car infotainment segment with a wide range of next generation multimedia systems customized for different car segments, ranging from compact and mid-size vehicles, to the luxury class.

These all-in-one car multimedia devices will be complete with applications such as dual view touch screen display, Bluetooth connectivity interfaces to iPhone and iPOD, as well as MP3, DVD, CD player support, TV, GPS navigation and an “eco mode” that offers fuel-efficient route guidance.

Bosch Car Multimedia division’s plant in Penang will be producing these next generation devices. By 2013, 70% of the plant’s production will primarily be car infotainment systems. Bosch is the first to manufacture these devices in Malaysia.

Mr Peksaglam, who said that the infotainment systems are targeted at carmakers, elaborated, “With the thriving global car market, Malaysia will be our manufacturing base in the region to produce our latest car multimedia systems for customers worldwide”.

To meet the growing demand for car infotainment systems in tandem with the recovery of the international automotive market, Bosch is setting up a new research and development company in Penang. Established in August this year, the new R&D company will focus on the development of navigation, radio and electronic components. The company will initially deploy 63 of its research engineers into this new setup. A progressive increase is expected to support growth.

As part of Bosch’s commitment to environmental protection in Malaysia, Bosch is the first to have a 101 kilowatt-peak Photovoltaic (PV) installation on the rooftop of its manufacturing facilities in Penang. A total of 130 megawatt-hours of renewable energy can be generated yearly. The panels will also be used to study the sensitivity and performance level of solar cells in tropical climate. Mr Peksaglam said that this project aligns with Bosch’s business philosophy in demonstrating social and environmental responsibility in its business operations.

He added that Bosch is also moving towards attaining green building status for its main administration building in Penang, along with the deployment of other forms of environmentally-friendly and energy-efficient measures throughout its entire manufacturing facilities, such as the use of modern LED lightings.

These projects contribute to a smaller carbon footprint of Bosch in Malaysia with a total reduction of 450 tonnes of carbon dioxide emission per year.

Growth and focus in 2010
All business divisions in Malaysia have shown promising performance for the first six months of 2010. Bosch’s Drive and Control technology division, Bosch Rexroth, registered a 29% growth, compared to the same period of the previous year. Bosch Rexroth is currently focusing on progressive growth in hydraulics through end user strategies.

The Automotive Aftermarket business division saw a double digit spike for the first half of 2010, compared to the same period the year before. 2010 sees Bosch Automotive Aftermarket taking on a quality upgrade of its network of Bosch Car Service and Bosch Diesel Network service centers to even better attend to customers in the future.

Security Systems similarly achieved a double digit growth for the first half of 2010, versus the previous year. Bosch Security Systems benefitted from the finalizing of projects from the 9^th Malaysian Plan. It also saw an increase in its market share of public address systems, due to a combination of innovative product features and competitive pricing. In 2010, Bosch Security Systems will focus on replacement markets in the oil and gas sector, as well as on small and medium enterprises to offer competitive product pricing.

The Power Tools division is targeting double digit sales increase in 2010. This year, Bosch Power Tools maintains focus on users and will continue to introduce innovative products, especially for cordless and measuring tools.