Myth Märklin

The oldest and biggest Märklin collection is presented in Oberhausen. The collection contains over ten thousand pre-war Märklin toys and a much higher number is from the period after 1945. 500 of these toys are presented in Oberhausen, many of them for the first time. The exhibits of the private museum are said to fill a football field, among them are prototypes and samples at an inestimable collector's value. However, the collector wants to stay incognito.



The collection is shown in Oberhausen for only one year. It will then disappear again into the private rooms of the collector who with expert's eye separated the wheat from the chaff.

So on to Oberhausen:
»»» www.mythos-maerklin.de

How are trees cut underwater?

Image source: Triton Logging Inc.

The robot "Sawfish" cuts trees underwater. When artificial lakes are flooded it often happens that trees lie under the water's surface. Here they perform no ecological function, nevertheless they are a valuable product.

The company "Triton Logging" invested 4 years and three million dollars in this project. The robot is controlled by a pilot. Eight board cameras help him to do his job in the dark and murky water. Every three hours the "Sawfish" weighing 3.5 tons is tested on the work platform. A small tug collects the trees at the surface.

About 100 trees are cut at the lake bottom every day. If all goes to the inventors' plans, the Sawfish will soon be used in many artificial lakes worldwide. The underwater trees are estimated to total approx. 200 million.


Image source: Triton Logging Inc.

»»» http://www.tritonlogging.com/

Electricity wins

On 13 July 2010 the R8 e-tron won the first "Silvrettra E-Auto Rally Montafon 2010", this is the R8 based Audi e-tron technology platform. Development manager Michael Dick, board member of AUDI AG, division technical development and factory driver Lucas Luhr drove the Audi e-tron electric sports car as winner across the finish line after 167.5 kilometres.


Image source: AUDI AG

Michael Dick is happy: "On the demanding race track of the Silvretta E-Auto Rally we showed with our R8 based e-tron technology platform that we are on the way to series maturity with our electric drive."

The rally
In the "Silvretta E-Auto Rally Montafon 2010" the 230 kW (313 hp) R8 e-tron technology platform had to demonstrate its ability. And that's what it did: The two seater won against 23 other electric cars and gained the victory with an advance of half a second in the overall standings.

Further information:

»»» http://www.egmcartech.com/~r8-e-tron-wins

First visible success

"Bosch increases speed for electromobility"

Bosch already has a programme for hybrid vehicles and electric drives. As first full hybrid vehicles with parallel technology of the Stuttgart-based company the new VW Touareg and Porsche Cayenne have been launched. Bosch invests € 400 million per year in hybrid and electric vehicle technologies. At present the first series production of electric motors and powerful electronics is set up in Hildesheim and Reutlingen. The large series production of Li-ion batteries from the Samsung-Bosch joint venture, SB LiMotive, is scheduled to start in 2011.


Image source: Robert Bosch GmbH

Link (content only in German):
»»» http://www.bosch-kraftfahrzeugtechnik.de/~electrification