Devon after the unfortunate GTX sportscar that failed to reach production because of the Dodge Viper production end (its donor car) now is focusing to smaller projects like this impressive wrist watch concept. The Tread 1 use a complex mechanism with four small precision stepper motors that move four very thin belts in order to show the time.

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Update - Discovery has landed at Kennedy Space center completing the STS-131 mission. Only 3 Space Shuttle flights remain until the termination of the Space Shuttle Program and the US Human Spaceflight (at least for the next years).

Space Shuttle Discovery of mission STS-131 is scheduled to land this morning (local time) at Kennedy Space Center. The landing is delayed one day due to poor visibility conditions because of the weather and a landing at Edwards AFB was considered. The volcano ash cloud is not in the way of the landing track. Discovery has completed a two week mission to ISS.

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Festo is a gigantic industrial control and automation company that in the last few years have impressed the world with its bionic network robots. These robots have many forms, some mimic the shape and movement of animals (like AirPenguin and AquaPenguin, read below) and other more abstract and modular like the molecubes modular robotic system pictured above. What makes Festo's robots distinctive is that they are very attractive entities aesthetically and functionally with a grace in movement usually absent in most robotic applications. They are designed as final products or advanced promotional items and although they are very advanced they don't share the semi-finished mess that characterizes the appearance of most research robots.

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SAAB is investigating the design of the next generation fighter that will someday eventually replace the Gripen. The photo above is from a small research program that SAAB is conduction with the University of Linköping. The program entitled Generic Future Fighter Aircraft aims to develop a cost-effective and quick way to design and manufacture a demonstrator concept and also to evaluate the usage of this scaled demonstrator as a development and evaluation tool.

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Multiple electrical socket outlets are annoyingly bulky and they just collect dust if they are underused. A compact 5-plug socket that can retreat inside the wall when only one (or no) plugs are necessary is a very attractive invention. The concept is self-explanatory as you can see in the image above from ArtLebedev's Rozectus 3D concept. However there is an almost identical concept by Damjan Stanković. That could have been an extreme case of shameless copy but given the level and professionalism of both designers it should be another example of great minds that think alike.

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The image above may become reality in the F1 championship of 2011 if Michelin return as a tire supplier and if -most impressively- F1 regulations allow the rims to grow to 18" from 13" that is now the norm. This is all highly speculative at the moment but provokes interesting questions.

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The 787 prototype designated for static tests (ZY997) complete the ultimate load test where the wings are subjected to loads up to 150% of the design limit. The airframe should withstand these loads and the company could choose either to stop there or to continue until destruction. This test (officially called Condition 18b) highlights the flexibility of the composite wing. In normal conditions the wing deflects up to 3m upwards at the wingtips. When subjected to these high loads the wingtips (at 150%) were deflected approximately 7.5-8m, more than the destruction point of the metallic wing of 777.

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The small Toyota Sera coupe would have been long forgotten like the mechanically identical Paseo but its design and especially its doors gave it a timeless appearance that looks futuristic even after 20 years. The Sera used the mechanical under-printings of the Starlet and was introduced as a niche model only for the Japanese domestic market, however many cars found their way to RHD countries like UK and Australia. It was in production for 6 years and just below 16.000 Seras were made in total.

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This amazing micro R/C helicopter is made almost entirely from 3D printed parts. Not only it is fully functional but it is also very light and strong. The helicopter was designed by Jose Alonso (buho29) and it was printed by http://www.shapeways.com with the method of powder deposition.

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