To mark its its centennial, Japan's Asahi Kasei has unveiled the AKXY2 concept pod vehicle. The vehicle has been designed to reimagine values of sustainability, satisfaction and society and how these will influence the needs of future mobility on the road to automation and electrification. When looked at closely, the concept AKXY2 can be seen featuring a split body with a streamlined lower section and an upper glass canopy. The latter can be lifted up vertically, while a door folds down to provide access to the cabin. The exterior of the vehicle features slender lighting units and aerodynamic wheel covers with transparent inserts.

A Japanese company has developed an electrical cable that can be stretched. Asahi Kasei says the cable, called Roboden, will expand by up to 40 percent of its length before hitting its limit. It was originally developed for use in robotics, where cables sometimes need to snake around joints that pivot or extend. Typically, spare cable has to be built into the wiring to accommodate this movement, and that can get snagged. Roboden can closely follow the robot's body and stretch as needed.