Autonomous vehicle technology is being adapted for use in everything from container ships to tankers. Engineers are also equipping other types of commercial vessels, including ferries, tugboats and warships, with state-of-the-art navigation systems that can be safely used in harbors and on lakes, rivers and oceans.

Automotive engineers have been tackling unwanted vehicle noise for decades. Their focus consists of a combination of sounds and vibrations from a vehicle’s drivetrain, as well as ambient road noise from outside vehicles.

"Are we there yet?" is an age-old question that back-seat passengers have been asking for decades. Automotive engineers on the lightweighting journey are faced with a similar quandary.

The automotive industry was one of the first to embrace robotics. Indeed, automakers have been benefiting from the technology since General Motors purchased the first industrial robot from Unimation way back in 1961.