TOPICS INCLUDE:
• Bioinspired robots
• Human-machine interfaces
• Digital vision systems
• Immersive virtual reality
• Nano things
• Future energy devices
• Biomaterials
• Open source and hacker inventions
CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
The intersection of science and technology is taking us to realms we never could have imagined. At this year’s conference, we’ll engage in a diverse discussion with an eclectic range of scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and hackers, all looking at ideas that lie at the outer limits of possibility.
Emerging technologies come from multidisciplinary sources, and they often go beyond being smaller, faster, better, cheaper, and more plentiful. We’ll cover a spectrum of topics where the merging of physical worlds with digital technologies is helping to support systems at the extreme. What role can nanosensors play in electronics, medicine, and new energy devices? Electrochemical technologies can enable radical innovation in concert with sustainable development. The development of nanomaterials for self-assembly, hybrid materials, peptides, and proteins promise us materials that won’t degrade, offer better drug delivery, and more efficient water purification techniques.
Will biomechanical robots really be as good as the hype? In the realm of biomimicry, are there caveats we should be aware of? We’ll distinguish between different approaches that attempt to take advantage of the principles and analogies from nature. How will this play out in such areas as visual speed sensors, robotics, and synthetic biology?
What are the technical challenges and potential of immersive virtual environments? Is the scheduled Web the next incarnation of Web 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0? Can à la carte programming be the future of media on the Web? Natural language processing and analytical techniques are improving all the time; the result is that we’ll soon be able to look at large amounts of free and unstructured text and make much more sense of it. Will open source and hacker labs overcome current economics and give us something similar to software apps stores for hardware?
From a digital cornucopia of perspectives and technologies, to the “whys” and hows,” we’ll strip away some of the beguiling mysteries of future technologies that can lead to the uptake of new ideas.
HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS
December 9, 2010 8:00 am – 12:30 pm
NASCAR (The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) is the number one U.S. spectator sport and the number two rated regular-season sport on television. NASCAR races are broadcast in more than 150 countries and in 20 languages.
Hendrick Motorsports fields four racing teams for NASCAR events. In 26 years of competition, Hendrick has garnered nine NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championships, three NASCAR Camping World Truck Series titles, and one NASCAR Nationwide Series crown (formerly the Busch Series).
All Hendrick race cars are constructed, from start-to-finish, at the 100-plus acre complex we will be visitng, and more than 550 engines are built or re-built on site each year. A Cup Series race car requires thousands of man hours to build and prepare, with engineers and technicians specializing in everything from engines to chassis to shocks. The result is a race car with over 800 horsepower, capable of reaching speeds beyond 200 miles per hour. Despite all this power, the NASCAR race car is also designed with a number of safety innovations to help protect the driver in case of an accident.
Among the areas we’ll visit at this field trip are:
ENGINE DEPARTMENT
The Hendrick Engine Program does extensive developmental work for General Motors while setting the pace in cutting-edge technologies. Hendrick builds engines for six Sprint Cup Programs, including four of its own and two external lease programs.
CHASSIS DEPARTMENT
The Hendrick chassis team has the ability to produce turnkey rolling chassis with a completed body in less than one week’s time. In addition to new production, the chassis group is responsible for repairs and modifications to existing cars, as well as extensive track testing.