A History of American Higher Education by John R. Thelin

Published in April 2019 (third edition)

Why is most thinking about higher education's future mostly mediocre?

Lots of reasons. Uncritical acceptance of applying (mostly discredited) business theories to academia. (Hello, disruptive innovation.) An inability to see beyond one's privileges. Anchoring on the belief that nothing ever changes in higher education. An unshakable faith that the market is either the answer to all of higher education's challenges or the root of all its problems.

However, the most profound cause of middling thinking about the future (or futures) of higher education is too little knowledge about higher education's past. Knowing the contours and causes of prior changes in academia is likely necessary, if not sufficient, for saying smart things about what will come next.

This brings us to Thelin's A History of American Higher Education. The third edition came out in 2019, bringing the story more or less up to the present. (Before COVID maybe changed everything).

Thelin should probably be required reading for anyone who wants to offer any utterance, no matter how small, about where higher ed might be going. Would it be unrealistic to ask Educause, UPCEA, OLI, ASU+GSV, WCET, ACE, AAC&U, FETC, ELI, AAU, CHEA, NAICU, AAUP and all the rest to send copies of A History American Higher Education to all their members?

Reading the Thelin book (as it always seems to be called), I was struck by a couple of things. First, it is interesting to me (as someone who works at a center for teaching and learning) how little a role teaching and learning plays in this history of higher education. Zimmerman's The Amateur Hour is an essential companion to Thelin.

Online education's growth gets some space in Thelin's history, but not all that much. There is some stuff on the role that for-profits played in the online learning story, and nonprofit distance learning and MOOCs make an appearance in the newest chapter on the 2010-2018 period. But Thelin covers very little about the impact of the development of CTLs, or the role that nonfaculty educators play in the instructional enterprise.

Nor does the history of educational technologies -- academic or administrative -- figure much into A History of American Higher Education. A historical and holistic account of the introduction and impact of technologies into the university has not been written yet (to my knowledge), a volume that may also make an attractive companion (and perhaps balance) to Thelin.

Despite what I see as shortcomings (not enough about teaching and learning, not enough about online education and nonfaculty educators, not enough about technology), it is undeniable that A History of American Higher Education represents a singular contribution. Thelin has given us a deeply researched and highly readable single-volume account of U.S. higher education, from 1636 (the year of Harvard's founding) to (almost) today.

The collective time spent on almost any higher ed conference, gathering or convening about the future of higher education would probably be better spent by everyone reading Thelin. However, the reality is that the communities of those who study higher ed's past and those who talk about higher ed's future seldom seem to converge. Why is this?

Part of the reason may be a mismatch between academic disciplines and professional organizations. Academics tend not to go to higher ed professional meetings, and higher ed professionals (nonfaculty) don't usually attend academic conferences on the history of higher education. Perhaps we should swap conferences?

There is so much to learn, so much to know, about the history of higher education. The task is daunting. A History of American Higher Education is the best place to start.

What are you reading?

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Reading Thelin's 'A History of American Higher Education' as an Amateur Futurist | Learning Innovation - Inside Higher Ed

A fifth dimension could finally explain the mysteries of dark matter.5D Everything

A team of German and Spanish scientists says theyve found a natural explanation for dark matter and other unresolved scientific mysteries but their work depends on the existence of a new theoretical subatomic particle and an entire fifth dimension of the universe.

The new particle, a yet-undiscovered type of fermion, would be able to traverse this new dimension and bind dark matter to the luminous matter that makes up everything in the universe we can see or touch, Motherboard reports, in a way that doesnt contradict any of the other models we have on how dark matter behaves. Its seems a bit far-fetched physicists creating new rules for the universe in order to explain their own theory but if it pans out, it could vastly improve our understanding of the cosmos.

The scientists explained to Motherboard that this new particle would likely be similar to and interact with the Higgs Boson, but that it would be too heavy to detect with the current generation of particle accelerators and colliders.

But assuming the particle and the fifth dimension it navigates both exist, it represents a unique window into dark matter, according to the teams paper, published in The European Physical Journal C last month.

If this heavy particle exists, it would necessarily connect the visible matter that we know and that we have studied in detail with the constituents of the dark matter, assuming that dark matter is composed out of fundamental fermions, which live in the extra dimension, a member of the team told Motherboard.

In lieu of a tangible way to prove that this mysterious particle or the fifth dimension exists, the researchers told Motherboard they hope that other scientists keep their model in mind as they continue to study particle physics and cosmology.

This could also eventually lead to an interesting cosmological history of the universe and might lead to the production of gravitational waves, the team told Motherboard. This is an interesting line of research, which we plan to follow in the months ahead.

READ MORE: Scientists Have Proposed a New Particle That Is a Portal to a 5th Dimension [Motherboard]

More on dark matter: Astronomers Find Over 1,200 Dark Matter Hot Spots

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The Universe May Have a Fifth Dimension, According to New Research - Futurism

Image by Natasha Connell via Unsplash / Futurism

A new artificial intelligence algorithm built by IBM may be able to help doctors diagnose or predict the onset of Alzheimers disease years before symptoms emerge.

And all it takes, The New York Times reports, is for subjects to tell that algorithm a story. By comparing writing samples from study participants over the years, the algorithm was able to predict the onset of Alzheimers disease years in advance with 75 percent accuracy potentially giving doctors a new tool for spotting Alzheimers and other serious neurodegenerative conditions before they would have otherwise.

The algorithm looks at data from a neurological study with 270 participants who were asked to, among other things, vividly describe what was happening in a simple image several times over the course of years, according to research published in the journal The Lancet. Based just on those samples, the algorithm learned to identify patterns like increasingly-repetitive language, typos, or missing words as signs of neurodegenerative disease.

This is the first report I have seen that took people who are completely normal and predicted with some accuracy who would have problems years later, Dr. Michael Weiner, an Alzheimers disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco who didnt work on the study, told the NYT.

Now that its been tested on Alzheimers, the IBM team plans to move on and test the algorithm against other neurological conditions, according to the NYT.

What is going on here is very clever, University of Pennsylvania Alzheimers research Dr. Jason Karlawish, who also didnt work on the study, told the NYT. Given a large volume of spoken or written speech, can you tease out a signal?

Excerpt from:

IBM Algorithm Can Tell Who's Going to Get Alzheimer's by Reading Their Writing - Futurism

Dinner with Gertrude and Lillian

Caryl Churchills Top Girls engineered a meeting between female historical figures. Little Wars, Steven Carl McCaslands new play, also sticks with literary heroines. When a dinner party includes Lillian Hellman (Juliet Stevenson) and Gertrude Stein (Linda Bassett, wondrous in Escaped Alone at the Brooklyn Academy of Music), the conversation could get interesting. Through Feb. 14; broadwayondemand.com

L.A. Theater Works specializes in audio theater with startlingly good casts, and its impressive catalog keeps growing. The latest offering is Hannie Raysons eco-minded Extinction, with a cast that includes Sarah Drew and Joanne Whalley. Hankering for the days of before? Check out the last two productions Theater Works recorded in front of a live audience, early last year: a commissioned adaptation of Frankenstein by Kate McAll, starring Stacy Keach as the creature; and Qui Nguyens semi-autobiographical Vietgone, inspired by his Vietnamese refugee parents, and directed by Tim Dang. latw.org

Theater or something companies are calling theater by mail is alive and well. Ars Novas P.S. project has been going on since November; the second season of the Artistic Stamp companys epistolary project is underway, with a third beginning soon; and next month, Arena Stage is starting Ken Ludwigs Dear Jack, Dear Louise: Love Letter Experience.

The most ambitious initiative yet may well be Post Theatrical, which encompasses 13 mail-based theatrical experiences from companies in the United States, Lebanon and Hong Kong. Through June 30; posttheatrical.org

Remember Yorick, the jester whose skull plays a big part in Hamlet? He takes center stage in Francisco Reyess solo with puppets Yorick, la Historia de Hamlet/Yorick, the Story of Hamlet, presented by the Los Angeles contempory-arts center Redcat. American audiences may know Reyes from his role as Orlando in the Chilean movie A Fantastic Woman. In English with Spanish subtitles. Feb. 12-14; redcat.org

If youre wondering about the back story to the French song in that Allstate commercial, its Non, je ne regrette rien, made famous by Edith Piaf. And if you missed the biopic La Vie en Rose, head over to Raquel Brittons docu-concert Piaf Her Story Her Songs, brought to us by Broadways Best Shows and the Actors Fund. Feb. 15-18; actorsfund.org

For tunes in English, turn to Theater Forward, an organization that supports regional theater, which will offer performances by Jason Robert Brown, Kate Baldwin, George Salazar, Anika Noni Rose, Shaina Taub, Branden Noel Thomas, Taylor Iman Jones and the Bengsons for its annual benefit. Feb. 8; theatreforward.org

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Theater to Stream: Shakespeare Villains and Hot-Tub Dreams - The New York Times

Apple car has been the hot topic for motorheads and tech enthusiasts alike for quite some time now. Now the ideation finally seems to be heading towards fruition as Apple has officially announced plans to collaborate with Hyundai-Kia to manufacture Apple electric vehicles. The deal is almost final as Apple plans to manufacture the car at the Kia assembly plant in West Point, Georgia. Presumably, the self-driving EV will be called Apple Car and slated for a 2024 production initiation. After years of speculation and pop-up rumors, this is some substantial news for Apple fanatics who want the ecosystem of Apple products to extend to the automotive realms.

The direct competitor for the Apple Car is obviously going to be Tesla whos got a strong foothold in the self-driving electric car market. According to some sources, the Apple Car will not have any drivers seat or even driving controls which could be a bummer for motorheads who love the feel of controlling their machine. What the Apple Car will look like is anybodys guess but to give a close idea of what it may be like, Ali Cams Apple Car 2076 is a good reference point to take home some inspiration. Adopting Apples sharp design aesthetics, the car looks like a mouse shaped like a car at first glance, but then you realize its actually a minimal car concept. Loaded with advanced driving systems Ali envisions the blueprint far in the distant future the year 2076 to be precise. The choice of year apparently is the 100the anniversary of Apple ever since it was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne.

On the inside, the Apple Car is more like a luxury lounge with infotainment displays all around (even on the doors), gesture controlled-entertainment systems, and the holographic display traverses the riders into a completely different reality. You would not expect the car to have a driver seat in the year 2076 which coincides with the vision for the Apple Car just announced. So, the Cupertino giant can take some healthy inspiration from Alis design. Access to the cabin is via touch ID sensors and presumably, Apple ID is going to be used here. The gull-winged doors give the car a very futuristic appeal, ready to take its passengers for a smooth ride actuated by the magnetic levitation technology. Yes, the one you see on maglev trains.

Although the final Apple Car will be electric powered and the maglev dream is a bit far-fetched for now, this concept by Ali Cam that could rival the edgy Tesla Cybertruck design refreshes things up in anticipation of the Apple Car thats slated to come sometime in 2024 or 2025. And of course, the real one is going to have wheels, so you can muster up the design with wheels on this one. Things are seeming exciting already, arent they?

Designer: Ali Cam

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This Apple Car showcases a futuristic automotive revolution that makes the Tesla Cybertruck look old-school! - Yanko Design

"Every indication we have so far, in week two of the new administration, is that Artemis will not be abandoned."Forging Ahead

Even though its under new leadership and commanded by a new presidential administration, NASA is still pushing ahead to launch and complete the Artemis missions to the Moon.

The series of missions, which include plans to send the next man and the first woman to the surface of the Moon and to establish a base of operations on the lunar surface, were set forth under the Trump administration, alongside extremely ambitious deadlines. But in an interview with Futurism, acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said that NASA is still pushing ahead despite the change in leadership, and he doesnt expect to be told otherwise.

Every indication we have so far, in week two of the new administration, is that Artemis will not be abandoned, Jurczyk told Futurism.

But no matter how much NASA wants to meet the timelines, financial reality may get in the way. Jurczyk told Futurism that NASA was only granted $850 million for the human landing system in its 2021 budget about a quarter of the $3.2 billionthe agency asked for which might force it to push later Artemis missions back.

Mostly driven by budget and not necessarily by policy, Jurczyk said, were looking at the timeline for the Artemis III mission and that might affect the Artemis IV mission.

That said, Jurczyk said he still plans to launch Artemis I an uncrewed test of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System in November of this year.

But even if individual missions within the Artemis program get pushed back, Jurczyk maintains that the program will still be invaluable as a testing ground and development environment for bigger and better things specifically reaching Mars.

And because of that, he feels that the Artemis missions and other human space travel initiatives will be safe and valued during the current and future presidential administrations.

I think using the International Space Station, using missions around and on the surface of the Moon, with the ultimate goal being Mars, is still the strategic direction for human exploration, Jurczyk said.

Read the rest of the Q&A: We Interviewed the New Head of NASA About SpaceX, China, and Aliens

See more here:

NASA Boss: We Have "Every Indication" That Artemis Is Safe Under Biden - Futurism

It was an otherwise non-notable day in October 2017 when Canadian astronomer Robert Weryk made an astonishing discovery.

Thanks to data from the University of Hawaiis Pan-STARRS1 telescope at the Kaleakala Observatory in Hawaii, Weryk spotted an unusual object, oblong and approximately the size of a football field, screaming through the solar system at 196,000 miles per hour. Strangest of all was that it seemed to be accelerating slightly, pushed by an invisible force that has yet to be fully explained.

Its highly unusual trajectory caused it to slingshot past our Sun, leading scientists to believe that the space object later dubbed Oumuamua, or scout in Hawaiian was the first ever visitor from outside our solar system to be observed directly.

Over the last three years, countless attempts have been made to explain Oumuamuas unprecedented characteristics. Some speculated that it was hydrogen iceberg, while others suggested it was a traveling space rock covered in a layer of organic sunscreen.

To Avi Loeb, astrophysicist and professor of science at Harvard University, the answer could be a tantalizing one. His controversial argument is that Oumuamua may have been a probe sent by an extraterrestrial civilization an explanation thats garnered enormous attention in the media and, unsurprisingly, proved divisive among experts.

In his new book, titled Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth, Loeb explores his provocative hypothesis, using the story of Oumuamua to lay the groundwork of a much greater conversation: the struggle to be taken seriously within a scientific community that has historically held the search for extraterrestrial intelligence at arms length.

During an interview with Futurism, Loeb argued that scientists explanations fell short of explaining Oumuamuas many quirks and eccentricities. The scientific community advocated for something that we have never seen before, he said.

One example of this was what Loeb referred to as the dust bunny hypothesis, which theorized that Oumuamuas odd trajectory could be explained by a very low density.

The problem with that is I dont think something of the size of a football field that is a dust bunny would survive a journey of millions of years through interstellar space, Loeb said, vacuuming up that hypothesis. I mean, I just dont think that it can hold itself together.

To Loeb, scientific explanations that attempted to squeeze Oumuamua into an existing scientific framework just didnt make sense.

The point is, you cant on the one hand say its natural, Loeb argued, and then whenever you try to actually explain it with natural processes, you come up with something that we have never seen before.

And thats how he ended up at aliens.

At the root of Loebs alien theory is that Oumuamua may have been a solar sail sent to us from another star system.

In the simplest terms, a solar or light sail is a form of spacecraft propulsion that turns the low pressure of solar radiation into movement. Earthling scientists have already experimented with the concept; in 2019, the non-profit Planetary Societylaunched a craft called LightSail-2,which uses 340 square feet of an extremely thin layer of reflective polyester film to gradually propel itself.

To Loeb, a solar sail being pushed by starlight could explain Oumuamuas unexpected acceleration. If its solid and isnt a dust bunny, the astrophysicist concluded that the interstellar visitor must also be shockingly thin perhaps, according to his calculations, less than a millimeter thick.

To the astronomer, the solar sail conclusion was following footsteps, just like detective Sherlock Holmes. When you rule out all other possibilities, whatever youre left with must be the truth.

That conclusion is a stretch to many astronomers in the field, who have repeatedly challenged Loebs conclusion.

In a 2019 study published in the journal Nature Astronomy, an international team of researchers argued that they found no compelling evidence to favor an alien explanation for Oumuamua.

Oumuamuas properties are consistent with a natural origin, University of Maryland astronomer Matthew Knight, co-author of the study, toldReuters at the time, and an alien explanation is unwarranted.

Their argument was that Oumuamua is a planetesimal, or a small fragment of a planetary building block that just happened to drift through our star system.

Weryk,who discovered the object in the first place, had no kind words for Loebs hypothesis. Honestly, thats a bit of wild speculation, he told the CBC in 2018.

I think its a remnant from another solar system, Weryk added. Its just something that happened to run into us, and we were very lucky to have been operating the telescope that night and looking in that direction.

These rebuttals appear to have only emboldened Loebs investigations into the alien origins of Oumuamua as well as leading him to make a passionate plea to the scientific community, as outlined in his book, to take SETI research seriously.

To Loeb, its all about reading the stars with an open mind.

My guiding principle is modesty, he told Futurism. If we are not arrogant, if we are modest, we would say that life, the way we have it, must be common.

We now know from the Kepler satellite data that about half of the Sun-like stars have a planet like the Earth, roughly at the same distance, so that it can have liquid water and the chemistry of life as we know it, Loeb said, referring to the habitable zone of a star system within which life can theoretically could be supported.

So we know that the dice was rolled billions of times in the galaxy, he said. And if you arrange for similar circumstances like we have on Earth, you would get a similar outcome.

To Loeb, this simple calculation is conservative, not speculative, and that it should be the mainstream view. But proposing that we are not alone in the universe is seen as a fringe view and the mainstream claims there should be a taboo.

The scientific community can address a topic even if other people address it in a way that is not scientific and doesnt make much sense, Loeb argued.

So my point is the existence of the literature on science fiction or the existence of unsubstantiated UFO reports should not eliminate this subject from being part of the mainstream discussion, he added.

In fact, Loeb contended that it is less speculative than other areas of study, from the study of dark matter to multiverse and string theories.

All of these hypothetical concept for which we have no basis, he said. And you have communities of hundreds of scientists working on giving each other awards and honors and so forth, he added in a slightly derisive tone.

To him, the refusal to believe we are not alone in the universe is a vicious cycle of self-fulfilling prophecies.

When you put blinders on, youre not searching for anyone else, you might think that youre special, he said.

The only way to break that taboo, to break that state of mind, is to find evidence for others, Loeb argued. But, if you dont search, you will never find it, closing the cycle.

Worst of all, a lack of funding for SETI research only ends up deterring young people from entering this field, Loeb said.

So the search for life beyond the Earth must go on and Loeb has plenty of ideas on how to do so.

Arguably the most ambitious plan hes involved with, a project called Breakthrough Starshot, is a proof-of-concept interstellar probe project by Breakthrough Initiativesthat involves sending an army of small light sails called Starchips as far as Alpha Centauri, the closest star system to our own at just over four light years away.

TheCentauri system contains a promising planetary candidate called Proxima b, a tantalizingly Earth-like planet.

Four light year may not sound like much on paper, but the distances that the sails would have to cover are immense. Rather than harnessing the solar radiation from the Sun, the project is investigating if we can shoot an extremely powerful laser at these spacecraft from here on Earth to provide enough acceleration.

Its an endeavor that involves near-insurmountable hurdles. In fact, Loeb isnt sure if the Starshot project will materialize in his lifetime and Breakthrough Initiatives estimates that it could take 20 years for the mission to reach Alpha Centauri after launch.

But I think we have to do it as a civilization, Loeb told Futurism. We have to go in that direction and consider how to visit other stars, because currently all our eggs are in one basket here on Earth and we cant ignore the risk from a catastrophe.

Originally posted here:

Avi Loeb and the Great Unknown - Futurism

"Certainly, we support this effort and endeavor."To the Moon

Senate Democrats and the White House have reiterated their support for NASAs Artemis program, which has the goal of returning the first human astronauts to the surface of the Moon as soon as 2024.

Press secretary Jen Psaki said during a conference today that the government will work with industry leaders to send another man and a woman to the Moon, which is very exciting. Psakis also called the Moon a waypoint to Mars.

Certainly, we support this effort and endeavor, she added.

In a Wednesday letter signed by 11 Democratic senators, lawmakers urged the Biden administration to fully fund the human landing system initiative.

Developing the next generation crewed lunar lander is an essential step in returning astronauts to the Moon for the first time in half a century, including the historic milestone of landing the first woman on the Moon, reads the letter.

The senators also urged NASA to proceed with the planned selection and to include all necessary funding for [the Human Landing System] in your FY 2022 budget request.

Overall, significant budget constraints have put a squeeze on the space agencys efforts to develop a human landing system capable of lowering astronauts to the Moons surface, as Ars Technica reports.

That tracks with what the new head of NASA, Steve Jurczyk, told Futurism earlier this week: that without full funding for the human landing system, a 2024 Moon landing will be logistically challenging.

READ MORE: Senate Democrats send a strong signal of support for Artemis Moon program [Ars Technica]

More on Artemis: NASA Boss: We Have Every Indication That Artemis Is Safe Under Biden

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It's Official: Biden Admin Fully Supports the Artemis Moon Program - Futurism

Image by Victor Tangermann

Joe DiMeo, a 22-year-old from New Jersey, recently underwent an extremely rare face and hands transplant, the Associated Press reports a testament to the advancements of modern medicine.

After being badly burned in a car crash in 2018, DiMeo spent months in a medically induced coma and had to have 20 reconstructive surgeries and skin grafts. But the most recent operation carried out at the NYU Langone Health hospital could end up being lifechanging.

I knew it would be baby steps all the way, DiMeo told the AP. Youve got to have a lot of motivation, a lot of patience. And youve got to stay strong through everything.

Despite the surgery, DiMeo will have to make some adjustments. For one, he still has to learn how to control the muscles in his new face and hands. He will also have to stay on medications for the rest of his life to avoid his body rejecting the transplants.

The fact they could pull it off is phenomenal, Bohdan Pomahac, a surgeon at Bostons Brigham and Womens Hospital, who had previously carried out a double hand transplant, told the AP. I know firsthand its incredibly complicated. Its a tremendous success.

The anonymous,deceased donor of DiMeos new hands and face was fitted with replica parts that were constructed using 3D photography and printing, the New York Post reports.

Despite the fact that theyre now declared deceased we still respect the dignity of the donor, Eduardo Rodriguez, lead surgeon, told the New York Post. Its important for us to continue to care for the donor because that patient is still our patient.

See the rest here:

Surgeons Give Man New Face and Hands - Futurism

J&A and sepanta design have collaborated in the interior design of chengdus first fully-automatic unmanned metro line. dubbed chengdu metro line 9 phase I, the project covers approximately 22 kilometers running southeast to northwest and includes 13 underground stations designed to entirely change peoples expectations of what metro stations can offer them.

images by CHAPA

our main aim in the design of chengdu metro stations was to provoke emotions, said reza esmaeeli, founder of sepanta design and design director at chetwoods architects. there are some metro stations around the world that do that, but not many. metro stations in central moscow are a great example of how to take the design to another level and go beyond the functional and regulatory requirements. chengdu metro stations are not going to be merely points of transit. they are going to be memorable spaces that offer their passengers an artistic and futuristic expression of their own culture.

when designing the chengdu metro stations, J&A and sepanta design were inspired by the culture and the artistry of sichuan silk and embroidery. through its interior design they aimed to reflect chengdus progressive and creative spirit. the result is an abstract interpretation of the embroidery techniques, featuring continuous movements of lines that interweave, creating nodes, patterns and textures.

the 13 stations were divided in two categories feature stations and standard artistic stations. the feature stations have a unique concept and reflect their local environment while the standard ones follow the same design with a few local elements differentiating them. each feature station has a different sub-theme based on its location, which is explored and defined by use of its own color palette, featured zones, bespoke furniture, special activities and choice of materials.

overall, sepanta and J&A design wanted to create design concepts that were fully inclusive and that all the conceptual and functional elements would come together under one organizational form.

Original post:

chengdu's futuristic fully-automated unmanned metro stations open to the public - Designboom

By Express News Service

BENGALURU:Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is looking at a 2024-25 deadline to develop its unique Combat Air Teaming System (CATS), a deep penetration attack system that enables a fighter pilot to remain safely within the countrys borders, while being able to deploy missiles or swarms of drones deep into enemy territory to destroy targets.

The project, with an initial investment of Rs 400 crore, comprises three components that can be separately or simultaneously deployed CATS Hunter, CATS Warrior and Alpha-S -- all of which are unmanned systems, but which can be controlled from the mothership, the fighter aircraft from which it is launched by its pilot from a safe distance. This unique concept will ensure maximum firepower against enemy targets, while keeping the pilot and fighter aircraft out of enemy fire.

The CATS Hunter is being conceived as an air-launched cruise missile that has the capability of deep penetration strikes which can be released by a fighter aircraft like LCA Tejas, Jaguar or Sukhoi-30 MKI. CATS Warrior can take off on its own from the ground and target enemy locations carrying heavy explosives. It can go up to 700km and hit a target, or fly 350km, release attack drones and return to base, said Arup Chatterjee, Director (Engineering, Research & Development), HAL.

The Warrior can also carry and release the Alpha-S, a swarm of up to 24 drones each carrying about 5-8kg of explosives, and can target multiple enemy locations simultaneously on being released. Alternatively, the Alpha-S can be released directly by a fighter aircraft using a glider that can carry the drone swarms deep into enemy territory, controlled by the pilot from the mothership. The drones in the swarm of Alpha-S are networked via electronic data links, and equipped with electro-optical and infrared sensors. This enables each drone to select separate targets.

The CATS Warrior and Hunter can be powered by a modified PTE-7 engine of the HAL, which was the power plant of the Lakshya unmanned aircraft. He said it will take around 15 months for the mothership to be made compatible with CATS.

We should be able to develop the CATS by 2024-25, he said. We are investing our own funds and going ahead with the project, and subsequently the Indian Air Force will come in. HAL had quietly initiated the CATS project in 2017, and also tested the project in Pokhran for the IAF, and its capability had left senior officers impressed.

Rotary Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (RUAVs) are being developed and tested to deliver rations and supplies to soldiers posted at high altitude border posts, Chatterjee said. With extremely difficult conditions making helicopter flights almost impossible to carry rations to forward posts, HAL has come up with RUAVs to do the job instead.

SHOOTER SATELLITE UAVHAL is planning to develop an unmanned flying system that can fly at about 70,000ft continuously for 2-3 months, to maintain surveillance on the ground below. Arup Chatterjee, Director (Engineering, Research & Development), HAL, described it as the first in the world. This is a futuristic concept which no other country has yet developed. It will be a solar energised system. We are developing this jointly with a startup,he said.

IAF proposal for basic trainer HTT40HAL has received a Request for Proposal (RFP) and quotation from the IAF for its basic trainers requirement, at Aero India 2021 on Thursday. The documents were handed over to HAL CMD R Madhavan, by Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Sandeep Singh, and Director General (Acquisition), Ministry of Defence, VL Kantha Rao. The RFP is for 70 HTT40 aircraft, with an additional clause for 38 more. Production will take place at HALs two manufacturing units in Bengaluru and Nashik. The RFP has come within six years of HALs first flight, which is claimed to be the shortest timeline in the aircraft industry. The trainer will have more than 60% indigenous content.

MoUs with MIDHANI, GE Aviation signedHAL on Thursday signed an MoU with MIDHANI (Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited) at the ongoing Aero India 2021 for development and production of composite raw materials. Composites raw materials, mainly in the form of Prepregs used in platforms like LCA, ALH, LCH and LUH are currently imported. HAL also signed a contract with GE Aviation for development and supply of ring forgings for GE Aviation military and commercial engine programmes. The 5-year contract valued over `100 crore involves supplying both steel and nickel alloy forgings for shrouds, cases, rings and seals. The forgings will be manufactured at HALs new facility at its Foundry and Forge Division in Bengaluru.

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HALs futuristic, deadly CATS to be battle-ready by 2024-25 - The New Indian Express

Beautiful, futuristic, and way too ahead of its time, the Cadillac Cyclone concept car is unique and truly one-of-a-kind.

In 1959, General Motors designer whiz Harley Earl, the man behind the Buick Wildcat and the Corvette, designed what would be one of his last cars the Cadillac Cyclone Concept, although he himself retired in 1958 at the mandatory age of 65.

There is only one Cyclone ever built and it remains one of the most future-forward concept cars ever. So ahead of its time, it never entered production. And sixty years later, it remains a concept, although largely forgotten because of Father Time and Uncle Progress.

Most people dont know much about the car and cannot really recognize it unless they are true automobile cognoscenti. But it is still a fascinating car to have been made back then, with some of its concepts that sounded way too far-fetched now being used as everyday tech, though not in the same way as it was in the Cyclone.

Beautiful, futuristic, and way too ahead of its time, the Cadillac Cyclone concept car is unique and truly one-of-a-kind. Heres more about it and how it pushed the boundaries of car design and safety

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Lets start with the look of the car. While it started its life painted white when Bill Mitchell took over from Harley Earl, he finally got it done up in silver and thats how the Cyclone looks today.

It has a flip-top canopy done up in the glass, giving it a bubble-top appearance and it came fully powered. At the touch of a button, it would disappear into the trunk and rest on a specially made airbag to keep it safe and out of sight.In reality, though, the car was only designed to have a powered canopy since it never went into production, the concept cars canopy remained a manual one, and rather cumbersome to boot.

To keep the inside of the car cool and not turn into a greenhouse because of all that glass, the canopy was coated in vaporized silver to deflect the suns rays, and honestly, that kind of a think-tank for 1958-59 is pretty commendable.

The doors were sliding, like the kind we see on vans today, although no modern cars were able to take cues from it. The sliding doors would also open at the push of a button, making ingress and egress pretty easy. Since there was no window in the car and any kind of interaction would require the canopy to go back, there was a rectangle in the door, to allow for communication without the need to open the top, with external speakers as well to let the drivers voice come through easily. This was also an easy way to pay the toll, although, considering the Cyclones dimension, the driver better had some long arms, like those of the law.

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The place where most cars bear a headlight, the Cyclone had these rocket-like black cones. And strangely enough, these were not for show but had an actual purpose, something no one needed back then but is pretty commonplace today, although not as ostentatiously placed or displayed.

The black edges of the front nosecones had a radar-based guidance system that would go in sync with smart roads and even back then, had a proximity warning system that would let the driver known of any obstacles on the road, way before he or she ended up hitting them. Pretty far-fetched back then, although this is one of the most common safety mechanisms todays cars carry. At the time though, people probably laughed at the idea, wondering why the driver needed to be warned of obstacles ahead, considering he had eyes

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The Cadillac Cyclone Concept car, code-named the XP 74, came powered by Caddys 6.4-liter V8 that jetted 325 horses, de-tuned in fact, and made 430 ft-lb torque. It ran on a two-speed rear differential mated to a three-speed Hydra-Matic transmission. To make the actual car, a standard chassis off the Cadillac assembly line that measured 225 inches with a 130-inch wheelbase was shortened to 196.9 inches with a 104-inch wheelbase. This makes it only slightly longer and a bit wider than the 2016 Cadillac CTS.

It debuted at the 1959 Daytona 500 and after that remained a significant part of GMs Motorama. The car also underwent a few changes over with its tailfins gradually being reduced in size to keep it looking closer to Caddys styling at the time.

For a long time since then, it remained on display at the GM Heritage museum though it has often been taken out for parades, car shows, and even been lent to various museums as part of exchange programs.The car is a design marvel for sure, and apparently, one of the many automobiles that drove Ed Welburn to become a car designer, and later even chief of design at GM itself.

Sources: Hemmings, GMAuthority, HistoricVehicle, AutomobileMag

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Arun Singh Pundir has been a longtime media crackerjack and worked most of his life in sales and marketing. In 2018, he officially flipped and switched sides to the editorial. He lives with his wife, two rascally sons, and is a car and motorcycle nut in his free time. Not that he has too much free time. He currently writes for HotCars on anything that has any number or kind of wheels. He considers his Isuzu D-Max V-Cross, Suzuki Ciaz, and Royal Enfield Classic 500, the three current flames of his life. His dream is to drive around the world; even if it takes more than eighty days.

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This Cadillac Cyclone Concept Car Pushed The Boundaries Of Futuristic Styling - HotCars