michigan

Manning security checkpoints is hazardous duty, but vehicles still must be checked. So the U.S. Army is helping develop products that will allow soldiers to do their job, preferably from a distance.

Researchers and scientists at the U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (aka TARDEC) have focused on semi-autonomous robotic systems capable of remotely inspecting a vehicle's undercarriage for explosives or roam the line looking for suspicious activity.

TARDEC will showcase a couple of its favorite autonomous robotic systems this week at the Michigan Security Network Market Leadership Conference. Both units were developed for … Read more

At the end of this last weekend's activity in and around the Carfax 250 in Michigan, Dodge president and CEO Mike Accavitti officially declared that the car manufacturer was dedicated to contributing vehicle and automotive technology to NASCAR. Although economic crises and bankruptcy have made it ideal for Dodge to scale back their resources and direct contributions to the sport, Dodge maintains that they will continue to represent within the arguably biggest auto racing league in the world.

Currently, Dodge backs two multicar teams in NASCAR - Penske Championship Racing and Richard Petty Motorsports. Three stars who are and/… Read more

Y'know, I had made a plan not to discuss NASCAR events within the (very) near future. And luckily, for the last couple weeks NASCAR events haven't necessarily been all that noteworthy to this writer. But the stir stemming from the 2009 Carfax 250 in Michigan (as part of the NASCAR Nationwide Series, to be official) was a story I couldn't resist covering.

It all came down to the final lap at Michigan International Speedway this last weekend, with Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch jockeying for the number one position. Vickers manages to push out of the way … Read more

A new "smart" cane developed by students at Central Michigan University may be just the first step in helping blind people more easily get around by themselves.

The Smart Cane uses Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to detect obstacles and alert the user on where and how to navigate while walking, according to a news item published July 29 from Central Michigan University (CMU).

Equipped with an ultrasonic sensor, the cane works in tandem with a navigational system inside a bag worn by the user. Together, they detect RFID tags mounted on small flags that stick out of the … Read more

If you follow NASCAR, then you're probably aware that Mark Martin has been on a roll this season. Here's another video to add to Martin's highlight reel as he chalked up his third win of 2009 when he got the checkered flag at Michigan International Speedway.

Back in June, Mark Martin pulled off yet another amazing comeback victory as right in the middle of the final lap, Martin puts on the gas and buzzes right past Greg Biffle in what might be one of the most impressive wins of his career. Check out the spectacular finish at … Read more

The University of Michigan has signed up as the first library to participate in Google's book-scanning project under the terms of Google's proposed settlement with library groups.

Google and UM have been working together since 2004 on digitizing the university's library collection, but the Google Book Search settlement would allow Michigan to offer its books online as part of a subscription, or in some cases for free. The settlement has drawn reported attention from the government as well as library groups worried over the costs associated with access to such a large digital library amassed by a … Read more

Ford Motor plans to spend $550 million to retool its Michigan Assembly Plant so it will be capable of producing its new line of Ford Focus cars, the company announced Wednesday.

More than $160 million of the money Ford plans to invest in the Wayne, Mich.-based plant will come from tax credits and grants from the state of Michigan, Wayne County, and the city of Wayne.

The rebuilt plant, which Ford expects to support more than 3,000 jobs, will produce the new Ford Focus, and, eventually, the battery-electric version of Focus that the company plans to begin producing … Read more

I received an interesting e-mail from a reader over the weekend. Dr. Katherine Gold, a lecturer with the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Michigan, had some questions related to Netbooks (or small notebooks), broadband Internet access, and physical computer security. After some discussion, Dr. Gold and I decided to see if some of you might be able to help answer her questions.

Here's the situation: Dr. Gold is setting up a research project to investigate the benefits of online support groups for low- income women in the Detroit area who have recently suffered the loss of … Read more

Apple blew away its PC industry peers in this year's American Customer Satisfaction Index, perhaps because it was the only company that didn't release a Windows Vista PC.

The University of Michigan released its annual ACSI scores Tuesday for the PC industry, and Apple took top honors for the fifth straight year. Apple was the only company in the PC industry other than Dell to post an increase in customer satisfaction in 2008 compared to last year, said Claes Fornell, a professor at the university and head of the ACSI.

The ACSI scores measure a consumer's overall … Read more