Sebastian Thrun, Prof. of Computer Science at Stanford, and Anthony Levandowski, a Google product manager, have written an interesting Op-Ed piece for the New York Times, on January 3, 2009:
Four Ways for Detroit to Save Itself
The four ideas are: 1.) Dedicated short-rnage communication (like WiFi technology) 2.) Solar-electric hybrids 3.) Robotic cars able to drive in tight formation 4.) Online cars
The National Academy of Engineering says: “Help us determine the grand challenges for engineering for the next 100 years.”
If you go to the site, you can submit comments.
Richard A. L. Jones, has been “blogging” about nanotechnology since August, 2004, at “Soft Machines — thoughts on the future of nanotechnology” It is an interesting and well-written blog which I learned about from Physics World, latest online alert, 11/1/2007.
“Richard Jones is an experimental polymer physicist at Sheffield University in the UK as well as the senior strategic advisor for nanotechnology for the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. His research is focused on the properties of polymers and biopolymers at surfaces and interfaces.” He is the author of Soft Machines: Nanotechnology and Life, new this month. Much of the final chapter can be found here: http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/19961 The Physics World article should be here: http://physicsworld.com/cws/article/print/31663
