This Engineering Newswire looks at riding on the world’s smallest electric vehicle, monitoring our stress levels with the Sensor Puck and firing 138 rockets to test the Army’s new armor.
Army Fires 138 Rockets to Test New Armor
The Army has recently test fired more than 100 artillery rockets, 138 to be exact. The rockets were launched at the white sands missile range in order to test an improved version of the M270A1 Multiple Launch Rocket System, or MLRS.
The M270A1 is a tracked vehicle equipped with a missile and rocket launch rack that can fire various artillery rockets and missiles. The improved version of the vehicle features a new armored cab which was developed in part with the Precision Fires Rockets and Missile System Project that has been tasked with proving the vehicle and improving related components.
World’s Smallest Electric Vehicle
Tokyo-based engineering team Cocoa Motors designed the portable transporter for getting around town with no effort. The 6.6 pound, aluminum contraption actually looks more like a laptop than a means of transportation, and can carry individuals weighing up to 265 pounds.
It’s powered by a Lithium-ion battery, and can reach speeds of up to 6.2 mph and travel for up to 7.4 miles after a 3-hour charge. To start the WalkCar, it’s as simple as standing on it, and to stop you just step off. Steering is as easy as shifting your weight around.
Playing With My Puck
Officially the Environmental and Biometric Sensor Puck with Bluetooth Low Energy, the puck provides a platform to demo SI Labs' boost converter, MCU, as well as its optical and humidity/temp sensors.
The puck is powered by a coin-cell battery and controlled by an efficient MCU. A Bluetooth Low Energy module broadcasts sensor data to my smartphone via the SENSOR-PUCK app in the Google Play store.
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