https://techxplore.com/ en-us Tech Xplore internet news portal provides the latest news on electronics, technology, and engineering. Self-driving car star Waymo on Monday said it raised $16 billion in a funding round that valued the Alphabet subsidiary at $126 billion. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-02-waymo-bn-fuel-global-robotaxi.html Automotive Tue, 03 Feb 2026 09:20:08 EST news689325626 While the capabilities of robots have improved significantly over the past decades, they are not always able to reliably and safely move in unknown, dynamic and complex environments. To move in their surroundings, robots rely on algorithms that process data collected by sensors or cameras and plan future actions accordingly. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-01-image-robots.html Robotics Thu, 08 Jan 2026 09:00:08 EST news687085035 Even if Elon Musk's dream of robotaxis for everyone is a long way off, sleek electric cars powered by artificial intelligence packed the Consumer Electronics Show, promising to liberate people from the tedium of driving. https://techxplore.com/news/2026-01-ai-pave-cars.html Automotive Wed, 07 Jan 2026 11:10:24 EST news687006595 Beneath the moon's cratered surface lie networks of lava tubes and deep pits, natural caves that could shelter future lunar bases from cosmic radiation and wild temperature swings. These underground structures represent some of the most scientifically valuable areas in the solar system, but they come with the very real challenge of simply getting there. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-origami-wheel-explore-lunar-caves.html Robotics Mon, 29 Dec 2025 10:50:02 EST news686226950 Once the domain of buttons and knobs, car dashboards are increasingly home to large touchscreens. While that makes following a mapping app easier, it also means drivers can't feel their way to a control; they have to look. But how does that visual component affect driving? https://techxplore.com/news/2025-12-drivers-struggle-multitask-dashboard-touchscreens.html Consumer & Gadgets Wed, 17 Dec 2025 05:13:31 EST news685170782 If you're considering buying a new small SUV, there's a good chance you'll consider the Honda CR-V. The CR-V is among the most popular-selling models in the United States, and there are good reasons why. It's practical, comfortable and quite good at getting you where you need to go with minimal fuss. But it's not the only small SUV vying for your attention. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-10-small-suv-comparison-volkswagen-tiguan.html Automotive Thu, 16 Oct 2025 05:20:04 EDT news679810543 Ferrari will begin its cautious shift to electric vehicles in 2026 with its first battery-powered four-seat coupe, but shares plummeted Thursday over a long-term profit outlook that fell short. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-10-ferrari-electric-seat-coupe.html Automotive Thu, 09 Oct 2025 10:35:39 EDT news679224932 Police in Northern California were understandably perplexed when they pulled over a Waymo taxi after it made an illegal U-turn, only to find no driver behind the wheel and therefore, no one to ticket. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-09-cops-driverless-car-illegal.html Automotive Tue, 30 Sep 2025 05:01:22 EDT news678427273 Most existing robots designed to move on the ground rely on either wheels or legs, as opposed to a combination of the two. Yet robots that can seamlessly switch between wheeled and legged locomotion could be highly advantageous, as they could move more efficiently on a wider range of terrains, which could in turn contribute to the successful completion of missions. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-08-wheel-legged-robotic-efficiently-wide.html Robotics Mon, 18 Aug 2025 08:00:01 EDT news674477494 Oblivious to the punishing midday heat, a wheeled robot powered by the sun and infused with artificial intelligence carefully combs a cotton field in California, plucking out weeds. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-07-ai-robots-weed-killers-farm.html Robotics Sun, 06 Jul 2025 05:31:07 EDT news670998619 Most electric vehicles are five-passenger sedans or SUVs. But automakers are increasingly expanding their lineups to cater to shoppers wanting a three-row EV that can serve as a family hauler. These EVs can seat six or seven passengers, haul lots of cargo, and potentially have more than 300 miles of driving range. They also come standard with many advanced safety features. To help you with your search, the car experts at Edmunds rounded up five of their favorites. They are ordered by price, and all pricing includes destination charges. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-06-row-evs-great-big-families.html Automotive Wed, 25 Jun 2025 11:07:17 EDT news670068427 A team of engineers at Singapore University of Technology and Design has created a truly unique robot—one that can roll around like a drum, then take off and fly like a spinning wheel. In their paper published in The International Journal of Robotics Research, the group describes their goals in developing the robot and how they were achieved, along with a description of how it works. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-06-actuator-robot-combines-efficient-ground.html Robotics Tue, 17 Jun 2025 16:22:57 EDT news669396172 NASA's C-130 Hercules, fondly known as the Herc, went wheels up at 9:45 a.m., Friday, April 18, as it departed from its decade-long home at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, for the final time. The aircraft is embarking on a new adventure to serve and protect in the state of California where it is now under the ownership of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE). https://techxplore.com/news/2025-04-fond-farewell-nasa-mission-california.html Automotive Fri, 18 Apr 2025 13:22:03 EDT news664201321 The van makes its way slowly but surely through the city streets, braking gently when a car swerves into its lane. But its steering wheel is turning on its own, and there's no one in the driver's seat. https://techxplore.com/news/2025-03-japan-nissan-driverless-vehicles-city.html Hi Tech & Innovation Mon, 10 Mar 2025 05:13:06 EDT news660802364 The U.S. government's road safety agency is investigating Tesla's "Full Self-Driving" system after getting reports of crashes in low-visibility conditions, including one that killed a pedestrian. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-10-probe-tesla-full-pedestrian-visibility.html Automotive Fri, 18 Oct 2024 15:21:05 EDT news648483660 Elon Musk on Thursday unveiled what he said was a robotaxi capable of self-driving, predicting it would be available by 2027—about a decade after he first promised an autonomous vehicle. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-10-tesla-cybercab-elon-musk-unveils.html Automotive Fri, 11 Oct 2024 02:18:57 EDT news647831792 While Honda has a long reputation for building fuel-efficient cars and trucks, it's only now getting serious about EVs with its new 2024 Prologue. The Prologue is an all-electric SUV that seats five and is about the same length as a Honda Passport. Interestingly, Honda expedited its entry in the electric SUV arena by borrowing off-the-shelf EV know-how from General Motors. The Prologue shares its battery, motors and many of its features with the Chevrolet Blazer EV. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-09-honda-prologue-toyota-bz4x-electric.html Automotive Wed, 25 Sep 2024 09:28:58 EDT news646475333 A team of engineers from several institutions in South Korea has developed a type of wheel with spokes that can be adjusted in real time to conform the wheel's shape to uneven terrain. In their paper published in the journal Science Robotics, the group describes the principles behind their wheel design and how well it worked in two- and four-wheeled test models. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-08-shifting-wheel-tackles-uneven-surfaces.html Robotics Thu, 15 Aug 2024 10:27:49 EDT news642936432 We're seeing more big cars on our roads, especially large wagon-style vehicles with a four- or all-wheel drive, known as sport utility vehicles or SUVs. For every passenger car sold in Australia, almost three SUVs are sold. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-06-vehicle-size-impacts.html Automotive Thu, 20 Jun 2024 10:54:09 EDT news638099639 French automaker Renault said Wednesday it will pursue developing autonomous minibuses for public transit but would stick to driving assistance features for personal cars for the time being. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-05-renault-pursue-autonomous-minibuses-cars.html Automotive Wed, 15 May 2024 04:12:10 EDT news634965124 The driver of a Ford electric SUV involved in a February fatal crash in Texas was using the company's partially automated driving system before the wreck, federal investigators said Thursday. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-04-driver-electric-ford-suv-automated.html Automotive Fri, 12 Apr 2024 04:25:10 EDT news632114703 The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a March crash near Philadelphia that killed two people and involved a Ford electric vehicle that may have been operating on a partially automated driving system. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-04-agency-probes-philadelphia-fatal-involving.html Automotive Thu, 11 Apr 2024 03:38:17 EDT news632025491 Tesla has settled with the family of an engineer killed when his Model X crashed in Silicon Valley six years ago, avoiding a trial, according to court filings Monday. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-04-tesla-wrongful-death-lawsuit-fatal.html Automotive Tue, 09 Apr 2024 04:28:45 EDT news631855721 The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a fatal crash in San Antonio, Texas, involving a Ford electric vehicle that may have been using a partially automated driving system. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-03-texas-fatal-involved-ford-partially.html Automotive Sun, 17 Mar 2024 06:13:47 EDT news629874821 Humanoid robots have been one of the hottest research directions recently. Driving a vehicle can greatly improve the mobility of humanoid robots, allowing them to reach disaster sites faster. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-03-friction-driven-strategy-agile-wheel.html Automotive Fri, 01 Mar 2024 12:18:41 EST news628517912 General Motors is adding about 350,000 miles (563,000 kilometers) of roadways in the U.S and Canada to the area where drivers can use the company's "Super Cruise" partially automated driving system. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-02-gm-road-miles-drivers-partially.html Automotive Wed, 14 Feb 2024 15:04:48 EST news627145483 Tesla is recalling nearly all of the vehicles it has sold in the U.S. because some warning lights on the instrument panel are too small. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-02-tesla-recalling-22m-vehicles-software.html Automotive Fri, 02 Feb 2024 10:48:53 EST news626093324 New lubricants, combined with new knowledge about how they should be applied to train wheels and rails, have the potential to reduce rail sector costs in Norway by hundreds of millions of kroner during the next decade. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-01-lubricants-cheaper-greener-rail.html Energy & Green Tech Thu, 11 Jan 2024 16:36:03 EST news624213361 Buying a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is a great way to try living with an electric vehicle without giving up the convenience of using gasoline for longer trips. They're perfect for driving shorter commutes, shuttling kids to school, and running local errands on electricity. But when your plans call for a longer trip, a plug-in hybrid's gasoline engine takes over and makes it possible to drive across the city or the entire country without recharging the battery. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-plug-in-hybrids-gas.html Automotive Wed, 27 Dec 2023 08:57:01 EST news622889812 Tesla's recall of more than 2 million of its electric vehicles—an effort to have drivers who use its Autopilot system pay closer attention to the road—relies on technology that research shows may not work as intended. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-12-tesla-recall-million-vehicles-autopilot.html Automotive Tue, 19 Dec 2023 17:00:01 EST news622227597