scott wrote:
>> I guess like you say, working out whether a component will snap under 
>> a given load is much easier than determining (say) whether a car 
>> engine will explode when you ignite petrol vapour inside it.
> 
> Yes, in fact some calculations you can even do by hand without 
> simulation just by using elementary beam bending mechanics.

Heh. Rather you than me! ;-)

> I did have a break down of the lead time somewhere, but there are 
> mechanical parts, optical parts, electrical parts, which all have to be 
> designed in complete detail and work together (your electrical engineer 
> can't say he needs a PCB that is bigger than the mechanical housing, and 
> his circuit needs to give the correct voltages to the LCD etc etc), then 
> the tool-maker must take those designs and design and build his tools, 
> then the tools have to be approved and tested to make sure they are 
> making parts with the correct accuracy, then finally the individual 
> parts can be made (perhaps 500 pieces for a typical prototype run), and 
> then they are assembled.  For the later prototype stages they have to 
> actually be made using the same equipment that will be used for mass 
> production, so the whole assembly line needs to be set up and checked etc.

Makes you start wondering how anything ever gets made at all...

>> "And in this test, we're going to crash a new car into an 20-year 
>> old". Uh, and where did you get that from, exactly?
> 
> I think the crash test standards give quite detailed information about 
> what you have to crash into.  All those crash test dummies you see are 
> made to exact specifications that simulate eg the 95th percentile of 
> human proportions and weights.

...20-year old *car*. :-P

>> Also, why do they already have to be painted random colours?
> 
> I don't think the colour matters too much, but they usually have all 
> those circular stickers on them divided into 4 for the software to 
> easily measure the movement and distortion of the car from the video 
> sequence.

Oh, is *that* what those are for??

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