A night vision system and a collision avoidance device developed by a research institute under the Ministry of National Defense’s Armaments Bureau to enhance vehicle safety are expected to sold commercially in two years, the institute said yesterday.
Su Yu-ling (蘇玉玲), who heads a project at Chung Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST) for developing dual-use technologies that can be applied to both defense and industry needs, said that with funding from the Ministry of Economic Affairs since 1994, the institute has been in charge of the ministry’s technology development program to develop national defense industry-derived products and help traditional industries to upgrade technologically.
Brake pads
Among the most notable devices the CSIST has created are high-end metal and ceramic brake discs and pads developed based on the technologies used for indigenous defense fighter brake discs, replacing asbestos brake pads and linings.
Asbestos is a recognized carcinogen and is also bad for the environment, Su said.
She added the quality of the CSIST-made brake components is on par with similar products made in Japan, but their prices are much lower than Japan’s, which she said could give local manufacturers an edge when competing with Chinese low-cost asbestos brake product suppliers.
Vehicle safety
The CSIST began developing key technologies for vehicle safety in 1995, including an automotive collision avoidance radar system, a night vision system and an auxiliary airbag system.
Low Ming-feng (羅民芳), manager of the vehicle safety system project, said that if the night vision system — originally designed for military use — is converted into a system for civilian vehicles, it will increase a drivers vision and distance perception in the dark through the use of an LCD screen in the vehicle.
The collision avoidance radar system, meanwhile, will allow a driver to detect objects in blind spots based on their relative distance and speed to avoid a crash, Low said.
Transferring technology
He added that the technologies can now be transferred to manufacturers and that the devices are expected to go on sale within two years.
Meanwhile, the CSIST is also developing an in-wheel motor that can reduce fuel consumption by up to 50 percent, with plans to have it commercially available within five years.
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC International Holdings Ltd (台泥國際集團). With the electric tractor unit, the Taipei-based cement firm would become the first in Taiwan to use electric vehicles to transport construction materials. TTS chairman Koo Kung-yi (辜公怡), Volvo Trucks vice president of sales and marketing Johan Selven, TCC president Roman Cheng (程耀輝) and Taikoo Motors Group
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
RECORD-BREAKING: TSMC’s net profit last quarter beat market expectations by expanding 8.9% and it was the best first-quarter profit in the chipmaker’s history Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which counts Nvidia Corp as a key customer, yesterday said that artificial intelligence (AI) server chip revenue is set to more than double this year from last year amid rising demand. The chipmaker expects the growth momentum to continue in the next five years with an annual compound growth rate of 50 percent, TSMC chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家) told investors yesterday. By 2028, AI chips’ contribution to revenue would climb to about 20 percent from a percentage in the low teens, Wei said. “Almost all the AI innovators are working with TSMC to address the
Malaysia’s leader yesterday announced plans to build a massive semiconductor design park, aiming to boost the Southeast Asian nation’s role in the global chip industry. A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch. Now it wants to go beyond production and emerge as a chip design powerhouse too, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. “I am pleased to announce the largest IC (integrated circuit) Design Park in Southeast Asia, that will house world-class anchor tenants and collaborate with global companies such as Arm [Holdings PLC],”