The firm is testing...

The firm is testing a project called SmartWeb, which allows drivers to ask any question and get an answer in seconds. It"s voice-activated, so responses arrive within moments. The system works by sending the questions wirelessly to a dedicated computer which scours its Internet database and sends the response as synthesised speech. A prototype was unveiled at the CeBIT electronics show in Hanover, Germany last week. "The driver can simply retrieve the information from the device on demand," said Siemens scientist Friedrich Schön.

Comprising material...

Comprising material made of extremely thin strands of fabric, carbon fibre is mostly made of carbon atoms, hence the name. The microscopic particles are bonded as crystals that are more or less aligned parallel to the long axis of the fibre, making it very strong for its size. Several thousand carbon fibres are twisted together to form a yarn, which may be used by itself or woven into a fabric.