Exhibit Magazine online Archives - Page 16 of 16

Wished Spy Kids was real? Meet the Audi AI: RACE.

We were barely breaking in our teens when we were introduced to the Spy Kids franchise. The cool, futuristic setting of the movies was only complemented by the fast and furious vehicles in the movie. Perhaps taking inspiration from them or out of sheer automotive genius, German automobile manufacturer Audi has created the AI: RACE.

First introduced in 2018, the car is a symbol of futuristic technology, as it supports wireless charging that can juice up the battery in just 15 minutes! It is expected to be offered with a solid-state 95kWh capacity battery that will give the AI: RACE a range of 500 kilometres. It also offers a segment-first transforming cockpit.

No, the car does not transform into a talking robot, unfortunately. However, the cockpit can be adjusted to suit the racetrack or the road. This is possible as the driver’s seat and the cockpit are integrated into an inner monocoque shell that can be slid laterally. This allows the driver to position the steering wheel in the centre of the car- a perfect setup for the racetrack. Naturally, the pedals can be shifted as well, while all of this is made possible by the by-wire design that eliminates the need of a mechanical connection.

Gael Buzyn is Head of the Audi Design Loft in Malibu – where the Audi AI:RACE was born. He describes the most important item in the specifications: “We want to offer the driver an experience that is otherwise available only in a racing car like the Audi R18. That’s why we developed the interior around the ideal driver’s position in the center. Nevertheless, our aim was to also give the AI:RACE a high degree of everyday usability, not just for the driver, but also for a potential passenger.”

The AI:RACE is 4.53 meters long, 2 meters wide and just 1.15 meters tall (14.5 x 6.4 x 4.6 ft). These dimensions alone speak of a classical sports car. The wheelbase is 2.70 meters (8.9 ft) and the overhangs are compact. Wide and flat light units with integrated digital matrix technology and laser high-beam headlights complete the face of the AI:RACE.

Powering the futuristic concept are three electric motors – one in the front and two at the back. Audi, sticking to its quattro roots, divides the output of the AI: RACE accordingly. Though the maximum power output stands at 500kW, the driver can temporarily churn out an additional 70kW with boosting. The AI: RACE makes a combined peak torque of 830Nm, that propels the car from a standstill to 100kmph in barely more than 2 seconds.

As mentioned earlier, the AI: RACE supports wireless charging and is designed to charge with 800 volts. The Audi Wireless Charging (AWC) works by placing a charging pad with integral coil on the floor where the car is to be parked, and connecting it to the power supply. The alternating magnetic field induces an alternating voltage in the secondary coil fitted in the floor of the car, across the air gap.

The German luxury carmaker will be manufacturing the AI: RACE in a limited production run. There are 50 units expected to be produced in total and will be sold to exclusive customers.

Want a laptop as good as a Macbook? Check these out!

Apple’s MacBook has set some definitions in the world of laptops. Nevertheless, major tech giants around the world have risen to the challenge and have produced some of the best laptops in the market. If you are looking for a quality laptop but don’t want to opt for a MacBook, check out these alternatives:

1. Dell XPS 13

Dell wanted to create a laptop that will not only match the MacBook’s aesthetics, but pose a serious competition with its performance. Enter the XPS 13. It is based on tenth-gen Core i5 and i7 processors, unlike the MacBook Pro. It also gets a lighter screen than the MacBook, with the same 13.3-inch resolution. Hardware includes 16GB of RAM and up to 2TB of storage. It also gets features that MacBook misses on, such as two Thunderbolt 3 ports, a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm audio jack. However, it carries a suitable price tag of Rs 1 lakh+, while offering a weight of 1.2 kg.

2. ThinkPad X1 Carbon

The ThinkPad X1 Carbon offers more than the MacBook Pro as it comes with a larger screen than the current 13.3-inch MacBook Pro and is available in seven set configurations. Buyers can choose from eighth and tenth generation Intel CPUs combined with IPS screens with Full HD, QHD or UHD resolutions. Compared to that, the MacBook Pro offers a maximum resolution of 2880×1800 pixels. Its price depends on the model selected also falls in the Rs 1 lakh+ range.

3. Asus VivoBook 14

Asus has created one of the most affordable alternatives to the MacBook, with the VivoBook 14. It is priced under Rs 50,000 and offers an ultra-thin 14-inch display. It is powered by an 8th gen Intel Core i5 procesor and gets 8GB of ram and 512GB Solid State Drive (SSD). It also gets a microSD card reader, a USB Type C connector, two full-size USB ports, and one HDMI.

4. HP Envy 13

The HP Envy 13 has a 1.5cm thickness and a weight of just 1.2 kg, making it a considerable alternative to the sleek MacBook. The Envy 13 gets Intel’s 8th gen Core i5 processor, along with 8GB of RAM and 256GB SSD. It is also equipped with three full-size USB connectors, one USB Type C connector, a microSD card slot, and a micro SD card reader. HP has priced the Envy 13 at a reasonable Rs 70,000 price range.

5. Surface Laptop 2

Microsoft’s Surface Laptop 2 is probably the most potent competitor to the Apple MacBook. It is exquisitely designed with unique colours and gets a premium Alcantara textile finish around the keyboard and trackpad. It gets a 13.5-inch display that has a resolution of 2256×1504. The display also has a 10-point multi-touch input options, giving it a significant upper hand over the MacBook. The laptop runs on an Intel 8th gen Core i5 processor with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage and is priced around Rs 75,000.

This is how robotics will influence future medicine.

It is no secret that robots are being extensively researched upon and their influence in our daily life is increasing considerably. What were earlier mere objects of humour and ridicule are now full-fledged artificially intelligent entities. While robotics is a vast subject, its knowledge is applied across various other branches of science.

Among those branches is medicine. It has seen the increased involvement of robotics both on the macro and micro scale. While there are sophisticated machines that perform complex surgeries without mistakes, there are also nanorobots that can be embedded in a body for certain enhancement. While that sounds a little fantasy-like, there is no denying that robotics is fast becoming an integral part of medicine.

As mentioned earlier, micro- and nanorobots are being developed to be used as a faster treatment method. As per sciencemag, Micro- and nanorobots are small, motile devices that convert chemical or/and physical energy into mechanical actuation and have the potential to enable minimally invasive treatment and targeted drug/cell delivery with high precision. For active drug delivery strategies, these machines can locally concentrate therapeutic payload around pathological sites to reduce the dose of administrated drugs and their systemic side effects. Simply put, they intelligently target the affected area and deliver the dose without side effects.

Another kind of robots used in medicine are called ‘telepresence’ robots. These robots emulate the presence of a doctor or surgeon, who is on call via the robot. He can the remotely answer questions and help share his knowledge and experience with others. There are also surgical robots that can be controlled remotely via a console to help the surgeon perform even better.

Prosthesis also has a bright future in robotics. Amputees were earlier restricted to wearing fake replicas or look-alike of their limbs. However, modern medicine has allowed robotic prosthetic to be grafted to amputees, helping them to not only regain their lost abilities but enhance them considerably.

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) states that there are also rehabilitation robots. These robots can be programmed to adapt to the condition of each patient as they recover from strokes, traumatic brain or spinal cord injuries, or neurobehavioral or neuromuscular diseases such as multiple sclerosis.

Robotics is an ever-evolving subject and it is surely going to improve the medicinal scenario significantly. It remains to be seen if robotics can be (or will be) used to enhance physical capabilities or add prosthetic limbs to the natural ones. If that day comes, it will mark the beginning of Superheroes on this planet! Come to think of it, somebody can create an exosuit like Doctor Octopus, Black Panther or even Mysterio! The possibilities of human enhancement with the help of robotics is practically endless.