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German e-car prototype can change shape

 “Shape-shifting vehicles, which smack of science fiction today, have been made possible in large part by the development of electric cars. Since they have no engine bay, there is more room to experiment with technology and design. “We’re revolutionizing the concept of an automobile by splitting it up,” said Frank Kirchner, head of the Robotics Innovation Centre at the German Research Centre for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI) in Bremen. The DFKI’s e-car prototype bears little resemblance to a conventional car. With its higher chassis and dome-like passenger cabin, it looks more like a futuristic lunar vehicle. A two-seater with a flexible chassis, the e-car has four wheel hub motors and wheels that can turn 90 degrees. This allows it to spot turn as well as move sideways and diagonally, which makes parking a lot easier. And if the parking space is still too small, the car can be shortened by a half-meter by telescoping the chassis.” Read more at http://goo.gl/iFo8a 

Print posted @ Wednesday, April 04, 2012 9:05 AM

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