Advancement of Robotic Technology

Robot Playing Musical Instrument

 Robotic Technology Incorporated (RTI), a Maryland, U.S.A. corporation chartered in 1985, provides systems and services in the fields of intelligent systems, robotic vehicles (including unmanned ground, air, and sea vehicles), robotics and automation, weapons systems, intelligent control systems, intelligent transportation systems, intelligent manufacturing, and other advanced technology for government, industry, and not-for-profit clients.

RTI services include technical analyses, technology assessment and forecasting, business development, and other professional services. RTI products under development include: intelligent systems for controlling complex systems of systems and serving as decision tools for human decision makers; and autonomous intelligent robots and vehicles for military and civil applications.

To become the global innovator and propagator of intelligent systems, including autonomous intelligent robots and driver less vehicles, and especially to champion the transformational technology needed to save lives on the battlefield and the highway.
 

Robot Shaking hands

Mission Statement

To create, build, and sell autonomous intelligent systems, including robots and robotic vehicles, for the benefit of humanity, such that our employees thrive, our shareholders flourish, and our customers are completely satisfied.

The Robotic Technology Inc. logo consists of a circle and arrows preceding our initials. The circle and arrows symbolize the dynamics of a cybernetic system and signify input, output, and feedback.

Robotics is the branch of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, electronic engineering and computer science that deals with the design, construction, operation, and application of robots, as well as computer systems for their control, sensory feedback, and information processing.

These technologies deal with automated machines that can take the place of humans in dangerous environments or manufacturing processes, or resemble humans in appearance, behavior, and/or cognition. Many of today's robots are inspired by nature contributing to the field of bio-inspired robotics.

The concept of creating machines that can operate autonomously dates back to classical times, but research into the functionality and potential uses of robots did not grow substantially until the 20th century. Throughout history, it has been frequently assumed that robots will one day be able to mimic human behavior and manage tasks in a human-like fashion. Today, robotics is a rapidly growing field, as technological advances continue; researching, designing, and building new robots serve various practical purposes, whether domestically, commercially, or militarily. Many robots do jobs that are hazardous to people such as defusing bombs, mines and exploring shipwrecks.


 The word robotics was derived from the word robot, which was introduced to the public by Czech writer Karel Čapek in his play R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots), which was published in 1920. The word robot comes from the Slavic word robota, which means labour. The play begins in a factory that makes artificial people called robots, creatures who can be mistaken for humans – very similar to the modern ideas of androids. Karel Čapek himself did not coin the word. He wrote a short letter in reference to an etymology in the Oxford English Dictionary in which he named his brother

Josef Čapek as its actual originator.

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word robotics was first used in print by Isaac Asimov, in his science fiction short story "Liar!", published in May 1941 in Astounding Science Fiction. Asimov was unaware that he was coining the term; since the science and technology of electrical devices is electronics, he assumed robotics already referred to the science and technology of robots. In some of Asimov's other works, he states that the first use of the word robotics was in his short story Runaround (Astounding Science Fiction, March 1942). However, the original publication of "Liar!" predates that of "Runaround" by ten months, so the former is generally cited as the word's origin.

History of robotics

In 1942 the science fiction writer Isaac Asimov created his Three Laws of Robotics.

In 1948 Norbert Wiener formulated the principles of cybernetics, the basis of practical robotics.

Fully autonomous robots only appeared in the second half of the 20th century. The first digitally operated and programmable robot, the Unimate, was installed in 1961 to lift hot pieces of metal from a die casting machine and stack them. Commercial and industrial robots are widespread today and used to perform jobs more cheaply, more accurately and more reliably, than humans. They are also employed in some jobs which are too dirty, dangerous, or dull to be suitable for humans. Robots are widely used in manufacturing, assembly, packing and packaging, transport, earth and space exploration, surgery, weaponry, laboratory research, safety, and the mass production of consumer and industrial goods.

Upgradation of Indian Jewel Cutting Sector

 The photo has improved, and. Not any more hunching down on the floor in soiled, sodden units for your normal precious stone cutter in Surat, India. Rather, current sufficiently bright and all around ventilated manufacturing plants, furnished with the most recent cutting edge hardware are basic place these days. Certain areas of some of any substantial assembling offices can put an IT organization to disgrace, what with several PCs interconnected inside of the premises. Surely, this situation is a long ways from the exceptionally customary and rather miniscule bungalow industry of years to years. Doubtlessly, Indian precious stone cutting industry has grow up.

In the creating phases of the precious stone cutting and cleaning industry, say the mid-1970s or thereabouts, manual work was the request of the day. Utilization of hardware and innovation barely existed in India. A large portion of the cutting and completing was finished by hand utilizing created ability and judgment; and obviously utilizing the hand-worked instruments that were accessible by then of time. Surat was known as a spot where a large portion of the severing based cutting of jewel roughs was finished. At the end of the day separating jewel roughs into littler stones was done here. Precious stone is difficult to break thus dismisses jewel pieces were utilized to do this handicraft. Actually, work was moderate and just 5 to 6 pieces could be prepared every day by every specialist.

Around the 1980s, the Surat precious stone industry was gradually acquainted with new advancements from Germany and Israel, for example, the laser based frameworks. All of a sudden, generation expanded significantly. Other than this, because of the laser innovation, an enormous decrease in edges of weight reduction was seen while handling precious stone roughs, which implied an increment in the quantity of pieces and along these lines the net revenue. Likewise, the industry saw innovation progressions during the time spent bruting or supporting, whereby two precious stones are situated onto turning axles turning in inverse bearings. They are then situated to crush against one another to shape every precious stone into a round shape. Both these innovations were the venturing stones for the business, which began to thrive from that point onwards.

Mid 2000s, one saw a colossal development in the jewel cutting and cleaning segment in India, with numerous players, huge, medium and little entering the field. The reason was the potential that the business offered during a period when the cutting business in different focuses was getting costlier to hold. India, with its modest work and the will to adjust and assimilate high innovation quicker discovered the business a beneficial recommendation.

From a customary manual cutting and cleaning methods for the past, the industry soon turned into a tech keen one by promptly and rapidly receiving new innovations the world brought to the table. By using hello there tech, expedient and viable programming, Indian organizations were a match or shockingly better than their partners in Italy, Hong Kong, Belgium and even China. Moreover, the deficiency of very talented laborers was met by utilizing new advancements that were quicker, precise and even brought down the assembling expenses.

In a short compass of time, the Indian precious stone industry made exceptional high speculations to embrace world-class advancements, similar to a product that maps considerations and defects in the jewels, and even hardware that create cutting arrangements with assessed yields. Likewise, green lasers that don't leave professed smolder checks on the precious stones and hey tech jewel number cruncher for gaging the light brilliance and flame of the stones were assimilated. Completely programmed cleaning machines were a noteworthy hit as well! The stage was situated... the jewel slicing division was raising to go; and rest is recorded as the greatest years of the business' example of overcoming adversity.

Latest Night Vision Technology

 Night vision gadgets have been in administration for over a large portion of a century and have changed the substance of advanced battle until the end of time. The cutting edge warfighter or law implementation expert can, today, move, shoot and convey adequately in complete haziness, giving him/her an unmistakable point of interest over their "night blind" adversaries. Night vision is utilized in numerous features of the strategic expressions. Administrators use it to clandestinely approach an objective territory, reconnaissance, route, vehicle operation, and exact shooting to give some examples. Night vision has radically expanded the well being and operational capacities of the present day war fighter. Night vision innovation can be arranged into two primary zones: light amplification and warm upgrade. Most night vision units are of the light amplification mixture.

Light Amplification

Light intensification innovation is otherwise called picture upgrade. This innovation depends on an uncommon tube, called an Image Intensifier Tube, which gathers and opens up infrared and obvious light. Fundamentally, the tube changes over photons into electrons and back once more. 

A night vision gadget (NVD) is an optoelectronic gadget that permits pictures to be created in levels of light drawing closer aggregate murkiness. The picture may be a transformation to unmistakable light of both obvious light and close infrared, while by tradition location of warm infrared is indicated warm imaging. The picture created is ordinarily monochrome, e.g. shades of green. NVDs are frequently utilized by the military and law implementation organizations, yet are accessible to regular citizen clients. The term ordinarily alludes to a complete unit, including a picture intensifier tube, a defensive and for the most part water-safe lodging, and some sort of mounting framework. Numerous NVDs additionally incorporate optical segments, for example, a conciliatory lens, or telescopic lenses or mirrors. A NVD may have an IR illumination, making it a dynamic rather than detached night vision gadget.

Night vision gadgets were initially utilized as a part of World War II, and came into wide use amid the Vietnam War. The innovation has advanced incredibly since their presentation, prompting a few "eras" of night vision hardware with execution expanding and value diminishing. Subsequently, they are accessible for an extensive variety of utilizations, e.g. for heavy weapons specialists, drivers and pilots. Another term is "night optical/perception gadget" or NOD.

The primary military night vision gadgets were presented by the German armed force as ahead of schedule as 1939. The primary gadgets were being created by AEG beginning in 1935. In mid-1943, first tests with infrared night-vision (Nacht Jager) gadgets and telescopic rangefinders mounted on Panther began. Two unique courses of action/arrangements were made and utilized on Panther tanks. Arrangement A - Sperber FG 1250 (Sparrow Hawk), with extent up to 600m, was comprised of one 30 cm infrared searchlight and picture converter worked by the leader. From late 1944 to March 1945, some Panzerkampf wagen V Panther Ausf G (and different variations) mounted with FG 1250, were effectively tried. Before the end of World War II, the German armed force had prepared give or take 50 (or 63) Panther tanks, which saw battle on both the Eastern and Western Fronts.

The "Vampir" man-compact framework for infantrymen was being utilized with Sturmgewehr 44 ambush rifles. Parallel advancement of night vision frameworks happened in the USA. The M1 and M3 infrared night locating gadgets, otherwise called the "sniperscope" or "snooperscope", were presented by the US Army in World War II,[7] furthermore utilized as a part of the Korean War, to help snipers. They were dynamic gadgets, utilizing an expansive infrared light source to enlighten targets. Their picture intensifier tubes capacity utilizing an anode and a S-1 photo cathode, made basically of silver, caesium, and oxygen and an electrostatic reversal with electron speeding up were utilized to accomplish pick up.

Energy Light Technology

Energy saving light

 Driven items speak to the eventual fate of the business. Not at all like the fluorescent and HID markets, the LED business is turning out to be more productive consistently. With vitality use roughly 50% of the proportionate fluorescent and up to ten times more proficient than standard glowing lighting, the arrival on the venture can be exceptionally appealing.

Another advantage is the lifetime of the item. The future of LED lights ranges from 50,000 to 100,000+ hours bringing about developed times of time without upkeep or substitution. Driven items will offer everything from substitution PAR lights to road lights and then some.

In the event that you've been doing your part for nature by transitioning from normal lights to vitality sparing fluorescent light knobs, you may be intrigued to realize that you can get vitality sparing lights that accomplish more than simply give light. Kitchen Contraptions detected this 15 watt ionic knob, which creates 60 watts of ight and contains an ionizer that cleans the air around the globule. The case is that the ionic innovation gets airborne particles that debase your room and reason scents. The globule gives 10,000 hours of lighting, 10 times longer than standard lights.

There's been contention in the course of the most recent couple of years about whether ionic air purifiers are viable. You may review the claim recorded by Sharper Image against the distributor of Consumer Reports, asserting item derision identifying with negative audits of Sharper Image's Ionic Breeze Quadra air purifiers (the suit was rejected), and the class activity suit against Sharper Image by purchasers (which was settled in 2007).

Setting aside the level headed discussion over how impact ionic air purifiers are, its an intriguing thought to make air purging an optional capacity of a light, since you have no less than one knob in every room of a house.

Customary lights, otherwise called tungsten fiber, radiant or GLS (General Lighting Service) knobs were designed over 100 years back and are to a great degree wasteful. Just around 5 for every penny of the power they utilize is changed over into obvious light. The fiber is warmed up until it sparkles radiating a yellowish white light. The knobs don't keep going long on the grounds that the fiber step by step vanishes.

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Latest Money Making Technology

500 Taka Note

 Cash is just a medium of trade. For many years paper cash has ruled incomparable – our predecessors didn't need to haul around gold coins when they needed to purchase merchandise and administrations (more cash truly did mean more issues!). Paper cash started when people conveyed gold to a bank where their coins would be put away in return for a paper receipt that was a promissory note to reimburse the gold coins. Obviously, it was less demanding to convey a receipt than convey the gold. Cash has dependably been a proportional element that permits us to trade the abilities we perform now, into something that society sees as important, so as to recover it at a later time.

Paper money is an entrancing theme on the grounds that its something we connect with regularly, yet we don't commonly give a ton of thought to the printing procedures behind the notes. As the printing innovation to make cash turns out to be more exceptional, so does the innovation for those attempting to produce fake money. Staying one stage in front of forgers is the most obvious need for both the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in the United States and the Bank of Canada, both of whom produce paper banknotes. How about we first observe the study of printing paper coin, particularly inspecting the generation techniques for the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. At that point we'll take a top to bottom take a gander at the new Canadian banknotes including why the change was made to a polymer substrate, and additionally security highlights and more extensive contemplations like the ecological effect and openness.

Printing Paper Currency

In 2010, the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in the United States printed 26 million notes… consistently! They have two offices where the notes are printed: Washington, DC and Fort Worth, TX and the normal expense to create a banknote ranges from 3-12 pennies, with a normal of 9.6 pennies for every note.

US paper money is composed with various against forging security highlights (both clandestine and obvious, for example, watermarks, smaller scale printing, security strings that sparkle under UV light, serial numbers, central bank markers and low vision numerals. The Security Features Development Group inside of the Bureau lives up to expectations nearly with the Secret Service and Federal Reserve Bank to plan hostile to duplicating element.

Ink, Paper and Printing Process in the

Different sorts of inks are utilized to deliver every banknote, for example, optically variable ink that progressions shading as the note is tilted, and also ink that responds in close infrared light. Shading control and rheology (the stream of ink) turn out to be basically vital when printing this sort of security record; along these lines the procedure can be amazingly perplexing. The US cotton notes are soil-safe, synthetic safe and sturdy.

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing's paper has been sourced from the same organization (Crane and Company) subsequent to 1879 and it is 75% cotton and 25% material mix. There are fluorescent security strings, watermarks and red and blue strands installed in the paper at the season of assembling. Reliable shading and feel of the paper is basic to the achievement of the notes over various runs. The filaments of the paper have been super calendered (leveled) to expand smoothness.

There are three primary printing procedures used to create US banknotes: counterbalance lithography, intaglio and letterpress.

The primary go of the notes are imprinted on a balance lithographic KBA Simultan press, where the face and back of the note are printed all the while. This sheetfed press is fit for printing 8 hues on every side. It is 52 feet long, 14 feet wide, 12 feet tall and holds up to 20,000 sheets. The notes are printed 32 for every sheet and this press is equipped for paces of up to 10,000 sheets for each hour.

The sheets are then left to dry away for 72 hours prior to moving to the intaglio process. The back of the notes are printed first utilizing engraved plates to accomplish physicality. Just in the most recent 12 years has the etching procedure get to be advanced and already all plates were hand-engraved. The new process utilizes a plastic mold and gathering procedure for making a full step and rehash expert bite the dust through warmth and weight. This plastic expert is treated with a light covering (conductive specialists) and set into a nickel shower for 14-16 hours where the nickel "develops" or holds fast to the plastic expert. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has a percentage of the last siderographers (SID-er-og-ra-phers) on the planet, and these people unite every individual intaglio imprinting onto an expert plate and right for defects. The Bureau has two intaglio presses, including an Intaglio 10 Press, which utilizes an immediate inking framework and can deliver 8,000 sheets for every hour. The second intaglio press is known as the Super Orloff, which has a roundabout inking arrangement of plate to cover to etching.

The following stride in the process is to print the substance of the notes utilizing an intaglio press, whereby finely engraved line work goes about as a security highlight by presenting a three-dimensional material component called a "thunder strip".

In conclusion, the notes are trimmed for the Currency Overprinting Processing Equipment (COPE), which is a letterpress that applies serial numbers and seals. When this stride are the notes considered legitimate cash. The sheets are then trimmed down into single notes and bundled in different groupings:

Groups (10 straps of 100 notes each – 1,000 notes)

Blocks (4 groups – 4,000 notes)

Money packs (4 blocks – 16,000 notes)

Palletized on slips (40 money packs – 640,000 notes!)

The bundling procedure incorporates different levels of security wrap and standardized identifications, with five layers of therapist wrap around the bed alone. One bed of $20 notes has an aggregate estimation of $12,800,000! These beds are secured in the central bank vaults and are prepared to be transported to government banks in reinforced

Quality Control

Before bundling, the notes are gone through the Bureau's Online Currency Inspection System (OCIS) and this quality control step measures every banknote to a "brilliant" or immaculate picture. It thinks about the highlights' positions on the note and printing thickness. Extra quality control measures to guarantee strength incorporate fold analyzers and "cutting edge" quality control gadgets like bond blenders, clothes washers and dryers (they're for an alternate kind of government evasion – ha!).

A cash making machine that endeavors adjusting lapses in money trades for bank clients has been fabricated by a security specialist. On the off chance that left to keep running at its top speed, the gadget could create just about 70 euros (£58) a day via completing a great many little exchanges. The gadget was fabricated to test the security of internet saving money frameworks.

Be that as it may, said specialists, banks' against extortion frameworks would most likely keep the machine trading in for spendable.

Tiny trades

The gadget was made by Romanian security analyst Dr Adrian Furtuna, who saw what happened when certain measures of Romanian leu were traded for euros. These exchanges were gathered together in a client's support so they wound up with money worth marginally more than they began with. "The trap is that clients can pick the sums that they need to trade such that the adjusting will be constantly done to support them," Dr Furtuna told the BBC. The sums included are so little, 0.005 of an euro, that a large number of exchanges are expected to produce a lot of cash.

Dr Furtuna, who meets expectations for KPMG Romania as an entrance analyzer, set out to check whether banks' online cash exchanging frameworks were defenseless against expansive scale abuse of this adjusting mistake. The machine was required on the grounds that numerous banks use confirmation devices to secure online exchanges. These gadgets regularly create a short arrangement of numbers that must be entered nearby different qualifications when moving or trading cash on the web. He computerized the grouping by building a machine that could squeeze catches on the security gadget and read the code it produced as a feature of the confirmation process. The reaction rate of the gadget restricted the quantity of exchanges that could be completed, Dr Furtuna told the BBC. At most, he said, it could complete 14,400 exchanges for every day. This implies, at most, it could produce around 68 euros for every day if left to run unchallenged.

So far the gadget has been just demonstrated to work in the lab, as the bank that requested that Dr Furtuna test its security did not give him consent to attempt it against its live internet managing an account framework.

Latest Touch Screen Technology

 A touchscreen is an input device normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. A user can give input or control the information processing system through simple or multi-touch gestures by touching the screen with a special stylus/pen and-or one or more fingers.[1] Some touchscreens use an ordinary or specially coated gloves to work while others use a special stylus/pen only. The user can use the touchscreen to react to what is displayed and to control how it is displayed (for example by zooming the text size).

The touchscreen enables the user to interact directly with what is displayed, rather than using a mouse, touchpad, or any other intermediate device (other than a stylus, which is optional for most modern touchscreens).

Touchscreens are common in devices such as game consoles, personal computers, tablet computers, and smartphones. They can also be attached to computers or, as terminals, to networks. They also play a prominent role in the design of digital appliances such as personal digital assistants (PDAs), GPS navigation devices, mobile phones, and video games and some books (E-books).

 

 The popularity of smartphones, tablets, and many types of information appliances is driving the demand and acceptance of common touchscreens for portable and functional electronics. Touchscreens are found in the medical field and in heavy industry, as well as for automated teller machines (ATMs), and kiosks such as museum displays or room automation, where keyboard and mouse systems do not allow a suitably intuitive, rapid, or accurate interaction by the user with the display's content.

Historically, the touchscreen sensor and its accompanying controller-based firmware have been made available by a wide array of after-market system integrators, and not by display, chip, or motherboard manufacturers. Display manufacturers and chip manufacturers worldwide have acknowledged the trend toward acceptance of touchscreens as a highly desirable user interface component and have begun to integrate touchscreens into the fundamental design of their products.

Vibrant Touch Screen Displays

  

With nearly 30 years the specialty display industry, Planar is a leader in durable, vibrant touch screen display solutions. Planar offers a wide range of LCD touch screen display solutions from small custom LCD displays to large LCD video walls.

Durable and dependable, Planar touch screen displays enhance customer experience when used in demanding point-of-sale, point-of-purchase and high traffic public access environments. Enabling a venue to instantly become state-of-the-art, the use of Planar touch screen displays change the experience of a customer, enabling them to seek information or perform on-site transactions. To enhance any public space, retail environment or hospitality venue, Planar touch screen displays come in a variety of sizes, performance options and configurations.

Planar's touch solutions incorporate the latest touch technologies including Resistive, Capacitive, SAW, IR and Optical. With one to 32 touch points, Planar touch screen displays can allow multiple people to interact with the display while not affecting other users. With well-integrated touch technology, Planar touch displays enable pinpoint accuracy and prevents false touch points.
Touch Screen Benefits

 

 There are many benefits in selecting a display with touch screen technology. Touch technology provides a fast and intuitive interface for users and simplify customer interactions. Users do not have to know how to use a computer and can simply touch the display to make selections. No keyboard is required, saving valuable space.
Select the Right Technology

The chart below provides an overview of various touch technologies available. For a more thorough description of touch technologies refer to our white paper on Touch Technologies.

Latest Motorbike Technology

DUCATI MOTORCYCLES:  Motorcyclist Online helps you research new Ducati motorcycles before buying the model you are interested in, whether it is a Multistrada 1200, Panigales 1199, or any other new 2016 2015 Ducati motorcycle models, we have all the information you need. Simply choose a model below to view bike prices, pictures, OEM accessories, MPG, and complete specifications of the engine, suspension, brakes, wheels and tires, transmission, seats, bags, and more.

Kawasaki is a famous motorbike brand in the whole world. It is known for its exhaustive categories of bikes ranging from sports bikes, street bikes to low power bikes. Kawasaki has introduced many successful bikes and has always catered to the needs of the bike lovers and users. Kawasaki Ninja 1000 was launched in 2011. This bike has no resemblance with Ninja 1000 other than the name. It is also not related to other Ninja bikes of Kawasaki. This is a completely original and brand new bike. It is said to be a fair sibling of the Z1000 street fighter. This is because of the fact that it shares some specifications from Z1000. It is also known by the name of Z1000SX in some countries. Kawasaki Ninja 1000 is a sport touring bike and is known for its stylish body. Apart from its looks and design, Kawasaki Ninja 1000 is also appreciated for its internal features and strength. The bike has a 1,043 cc, four stroke engine.

The engine has four cylinders and four-valve per cylinder. The engine is liquid cooled. It has a total power of 103 kW at 9600 RPM and torque of 100.9 NM at 8800 RPM. The transmission of this bike is 6-speed return shift, chain drive. Kawasaki Ninja 1000 has excellent suspension. The front suspension is 41mm inverted fork and the rear suspension is horizontal backlink and gas charged. The front brake is a dual disc while the rear is singe disc. Keeping the tradition of tough tires for all kinds of roads, Kawasaki Ninja 1000 has tubeless and strong tires. The fuel capacity of this bike is 5 US gallons. Due to these features and the level of comfort this bike offers, Kawasaki Ninja 1000 has seen a good response since its launch to this date. Kawasaki Ninja 1000 continues to be appreciated by bike lovers everywhere.

Well, it’s that time of year again, when Christmas becomes a fast-fading memory and we all start crafting New Year’s resolutions. But rather than making a list of commitments we’ll struggle to keep, we thought it would be a lot more fun to look ahead and create a list of the 10 motorcycles we most look forward to riding in 2014. By this, we mean production machines we haven’t ridden yet, but need to get on as soon as possible. 

 It’s clear that BMW’s designers have had lots of fun with the naked R nineT roadster, and we want so see if the bike’s dynamics back up those great looks. The R nineT, which celebrates the 90th anniversary of BMW Motorrad, goes after a hipper, more contemporary crowd with its stripped looks, rich textures, and black wheels, plus an available brushed-aluminum tail section that transforms this new German into a café racer of sorts. We’re glad BMW has chosen to power the R nineT with the air- and oil-cooled version of the company’s 1170cc boxer engine because it’s more in character with this elemental machine than the liquid-cooled flat-twin found in other BMWs such as the R1200GS. On sale in March.

New Advances in Auto Technology

Forbes

The market may be slow but new technologies for vehicles are appearing at a blistering pace.

Most are in the realm of safety, but some are pure convenience. Typically, innovative features from the manufacturers are offered on higher-end cars as options and eventually trickle down to less expensive vehicles as cost declines, awareness increases and demand grows.

Equipment and features the public takes for granted today -- electric ignition, automatic windshield wipers, power steering, airbags, cruise control and many more -- began life as unexpected advances that dazzled the public. When GM introduced the first automatic transmission -- its Hydra-Matic Drive -- in the 1940 Oldsmobile, it was a $57 option and more of a curiosity than a "gotta-have" feature. Today automatic transmissions have advanced to the point of providing as many as eight forward gears, driver-shift options, computerized driver-adaptable shifting and different shifting modes, such as "sport," "touring" and "snow." But in 1940, not stirring the transmission yourself was a radical concept and only well-heeled risk takers ponied up the extra cash for the new technology.

Today's "cutting edge" is tomorrow's "commonplace." Here is a collection of technologies already offered that could be mainstream just a year or two from now.

• Rear-mounted radar.
• Night vision with pedestrian detection.
• Automatic high-beam control.
• Parental control.
• GPS vehicle tracking.
• Cameras.
• Driver capability.
• In-car Internet.

Rear-mounted radar

Backing out of a parking space in a busy lot can be an adventure. Although rear-pointing radar has been around for a few years alerting drivers to unseen objects immediately behind them -- a fence, wall, tree or another vehicle -- new radar technology searches for approaching cross traffic. When it "sees" traffic approaching while you're backing up, it sounds an alarm. Chrysler's version is available in its minivans and is called Cross Path Detection System. It includes visual indicators in the outboard mirrors. Ford's system is called Cross Traffic Alert. Offered in the just-released 2010 Fusion and Mercury Milan, it also has outboard mirror alarm indicators.

Night vision with pedestrian detection:

Although night vision in vehicles isn't a new technology -- Cadillac offered it in 2000 -- the Mercedes-Benz updated version is called Night View Assist Plus. Unlike the Night View Assist, which has been available in the S-Class since 2005, the new system pinpoints pedestrians, highlighting them on a dashboard display. It's offered in the 2010 E-Class in showrooms late this spring. BMW has a similar system with a pedestrian identifier that also shows the direction the pedestrian is moving. As the distance closes between pedestrian and vehicle, a warning appears on the night vision monitor as well as the head-up display on the windshield if so equipped. BMW offers this system on the 2009 7 Series.

Automatic high-beam control

In the redesigned RX, Lexus offers a system that automatically illuminates and dims the high-beam headlights in relation to approaching traffic. A camera mounted on the rearview mirror detects when the vehicle is closing in on oncoming traffic, as well as vehicles ahead traveling in the same direction, and disengages the high beams. Mercedes-Benz takes the technology one step further with its Adaptive Highbeam Assist. Also found in the new E-Class, it doesn't merely switch between low and high beams, but reacts by gradually increasing or lowering the light distribution based on the distance of approaching traffic. It also dims the high beams for sharp turns and then re-engages the high beams if there is no approaching traffic once the turn is completed.