This Engineering Newswire looks at developing fish armor for tomorrow’s solider, riding on an amphibious Quadskis and breaking the electric vehicle acceleration record.
Fish Armor for Tomorrow’s Soldier
The boxfish, such an interesting creature with such an unimaginative name, has a shell that is composed of several hexagonal scutes (scyoots) that provide body support and armored protection. These scutes are connected by tooth-like joints called sutures, which provide strength and flexibility.
Now, engineers at the Jacobs School of Engineering at UC San Diego want to use the boxfish's defense system to create bio-inspired body armor, robots, and even flexible electronics.
Electric Racecar Sets Acceleration Record
The GreenTeam Formula Student electric racing car developed by engineers at the University of Stuttgart in Germany has just set the record for the fastest acceleration of an electric car. The car accelerated from 0-62mph in 1.779 seconds after traveling 25 meters.
The car itself was developed by a group of 40 students as part of the Formula Student Electric competition which challenges students to build a single seat race car to compete against teams from around the world.
Police Patrol on Amphibious Quadskis
Members of the San Francisco police department were spotted on three odd-looking vehicles earlier this month in McCovey Cove. The vehicles are called Quadskis, and three were donated by Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff to the city’s police department.
Although the 10 and a half foot Quadski was originally launched in 2012 by sports vehicle company Gibbs. However, the Quadski has since been upgraded. They retail for around $50,000 each, and can drive at about 45-50 miles per hour on both land and water.
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