News you can muse

[DeWitt Harrison <de@aztek.com>]

Automotive product news tidbits from June's Product Design
and Development mag.:

  The Dodge Viper RT/10 is the first N. American production
vehicle to use a new metal-supported catalytic converter as
opposed to ceramic-supported. The metal foil honeycomb
structure is very thin walled and has very low resistance to
gas flow. Thermal transients of 1300 degrees _C_ can be
tolerated.

 Our dear friends at Robert Bosh Corp. have come up with
an Automotive Occupancy Sensing system, cleverly dubbed
"AOS," which determines whether the passenger side airbag
should be deployed in a crash.  It just says no to airbags when
(a) the passenger seat is unoccupied, (b) it contains a rear
facing infant seat, (c) the occupant is improperly seated or
(d) is seated too close to the dashboard. This will save you
the trouble of switching off the passenger side airbag manually.
Hypothetically, what do you suppose Audi would get for a
replacement AOS unit?  $2,500?

DeWitt Harrison    de@aztek.com
Boulder, CO
88 5kcstq