100 years of automotive engineering
Greg Reed, Contributing Technical Editor -- Test & Measurement World, 6/1/2005
The Society of Automotive Engineers staged a centennial celebration event during SAE 2005 (April 10–14, Detroit, MI). Besides a busy exhibition floor with more than 35,000 attendees rubbing shoulders, SAE 2005 offered an extensive technical program showcasing advanced automotive technology and engineering techniques plus business sessions featuring top executives.
In addition to the full slate of traditional technical presentation sessions, technical information was also provided via Webcasts for those unable to travel to Detroit. At the AVL Technology Theater, 10 panel sessions and nine keynote addresses were broadcast by Internet to registered online attendees.
The opening keynote address, "Driving Performance in a Global Auto Industry," was delivered by James E. Queen, VP of global engineering for General Motors and the general chairman of the SAE World Congress. Following-day keynotes covered electrical innovation with model-based development (William Mattingly of DaimlerChrysler), research through collaboration (Burkhard Goschel of GMW Group), and the future of powertrain technology (Michiyoshi Hagino of Honda Motors).
Of special interest to the test engineering community was a three-day series entitled "The Next Generation of Automotive Safety Systems." Featured speakers represented Robert Bosch, Delphi, General Motors, DaimlerChrysler, Infineon, Toyota, BMW Group, DENSO, and Honda Motors, among others. Technical paper topics included accelerated life testing, lean manufacturing and test principles, next-generation test automation, the integration of test platforms, and portable measurement systems.
An emerging technologies section offered alternatives to a gas-guzzling world, with exhibits and technical sessions highlighting hydrogen fuel cells, hybrids, diesel, and modified gasoline products.
Military ground vehicles were displayed by armed forces personnel at the Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) on the exposition floor. Military track technical sessions centered on mobility, survivability, intelligent systems, industry's role for technology transfer to military applications, and future challenges.
