Category Archives: Auto News

Auto Safety – Teen Develops Promising Solution to the Blind Spot

Posted on by

Auto safety is always a great topic to discuss and recently there has been much buzz about a fourteen-year-old Pennsylvania student who invented a new vehicle safety feature that earned her a $25,000 prize. 

Teen Develops Blind Spot Solution

Over the decades, automobile design and engineering have made tremendous strides in terms of safety features, including strengthening of the vehicle frame to prevent vehicle collapse in the event of a rollover. Unfortunately, this strong A-frame design leads to serious visibility problems for drivers, as the A-frame pillars create “blind spots” in the driver’s viewable area. According to NHTSA data, nearly 840,000 accidents per year are related to blind spot issues.

Fourteen-year-old Alaina Gassler of West Grove, PA seems to have hit upon a viable solution to this issue with her blind spot reduction system, which makes the A-frame pillars in a vehicle effectively disappear! Alaina’s system employees the use of a webcam, a projector, a 3D printed adapter and retro-reflective fabric. It is demonstrated in the video below:

The invention, which she completed while in eighth grade, earned Alaina a grand prize of $25,000 from the Society for Science and the Public’s Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology, and Engineering for Rising Stars) science and engineering competition.

Congratulations to this incredible young woman on her achievement!

Digital License Plates -The Future of Vehicle Identification

Posted on by

Testing has begun in California on a new tech innovation that could completely change vehicle registration in the future – digital license plates. While they will initially be an optional accessory that vehicle owners purchase from dealers, if testing goes well, they could eventually replace those familiar government issued metal plates.

The new digital plates, developed by a company called Reviver Auto,  utilizes a technology similar to that used by the Amazon for its Kindle E-reader. According to the Sacramento Bee, Sacramento is first city to test the new digital license plates on 24 of the city’s fleet vehicles. The units will have the capability to display public service announcements, amber alerts, and other similar types of information.

The California DMV plans to offer the new plates through dealers in conjunction with Reviver Auto. Vehicle owners who opt for the digital plate will be able to register their vehicles electronically, eliminating the need to put updated sticker tags on their plates each year.

The digital plates offer particular advantages for fleet managers, who can collect real-time information from fleet vehicles including on-road tracking.  The digital plates can be configured to display personal messages or even mini-billboard advertising, which displays only when the vehicle comes to a stop.

A security advantage that digital license plates offer fleet owners and drivers is that in the event of theft, the plate can tell both the owner and law enforcement the location of the vehicle. The digital plates are engineered with tamper-resistant and anti-theft features.

According to a report in the San Francisco Chronicle, the digital plates will first be sold at dealerships in California and Arizona. Next, they will be available in Nevada, Maryland and Pennsylvania before going overseas to be tested in Dubai.

For private consumers who want the technology the price is steep. They cost $699 for individual consumers, plus installation, along with a monthly fee of about $7.

This Day in History: The Affordable Auto is Born

Posted on by
Ford Automobile Assembly Line

Workers on the first moving assembly line put together magnetos and flywheels for 1913 Ford autos" Highland Park, Michigan

The name of Henry Ford is synonymous with motor vehicles. In fact, the motor company that was started by this American industrialist still bears his name and remains a leading automotive giant today. Though Henry Ford did not actually invent the automobile, he is the man responsible for transforming what was originally a luxury item for wealthy elites into a more affordable and life changing investment for middle class households.  It was Ford’s implementation of the first automotive assembly line that changed everything, and it happened on this day in history.

Henry Ford introduced the Ford Model T in 1908. His goal was to “build a motor car for the great multitude” by making autos affordable for middle class Americans. Ford understood not only automobile design, but also the importance of innovation in the manufacturing  process. In order to produce an affordable auto, he knew he must lower the high cost of producing them.

On October 7th, 1913, Ford’s factory in Highland Park, Michigan ran the first continuously moving auto assembly line.  The chassis was pulled through the various work stations on the factory floor using a motorized rope pulley system. This cut the labor hours to complete one Model T nearly in half, from 12.5 hours to six. Further refinements in the assembly line process reduced the time required to  a mere 93 minutes of labor. This substantial increase in productivity brought about by the moving assembly line allowed Ford Motor Company to drastically reduce the cost of the Model T from its introductory price of $850 to $360. Sales more than tripled that of the previous year.  Ultimately Ford was able to produce one Model T every 24 seconds, and the price dropped to below $300. Before it was discontinued in 1927, over 15 million Model T’s were made and comprised nearly half of all automobiles sold in the world at that time.

His innovative manufacturing plan took Henry Ford’s vision from a dream to reality, and changed the way we live, travel and work today.