Gallery: How This Magic Machine Tricks You Into Seeing Any Car It Wants
The Mill01shapeshiftcar4.jpg
The Mill uses motion capture techniques to place a realistic body over the Blackbird’s frame.
The Mill02shapeshiftcar8.jpg
The next time you see a car on screen, in a commercial, movie, or TV show, it may just be a digital animation.
The Mill03shapeshiftcar7.jpg
The Blackbird can change its chassis shape to match anything from a Fiat 500 to a limousine.
The Mill04shapeshiftcar1.jpg
Any number of car models can be digitally added to the Blackbird's chassis.
The Mill05shapeshiftcar2.jpg
The Blackbird has only one seat for the driver.
The Mill06shapeshiftcar3.jpg
Directors just have to put the right wheels on (it accepts lug patterns from any manufacturer), then have a stunt driver race, wheelspin, or flick the rear end out as they pass the camera, just as they would in a normal car.
The Mill07shapeshiftcar6.jpg
The Mill can program its electric motors to make it behave like the car’s it’s emulating—slow or fast acceleration, gear change lurches, front or rear wheel drive.
The Mill08shapeshiftcar5.jpg
For extra authenticity, the Blackbird carries a suite of cameras and LIDAR sensors that capture a picture of the world around it.
The Tesla Roadster 2 Is Here—and It Flies
The automaker unveiled its next luxury sports car at an event in Texas. It has thrusters on it that can send it airborne.
Aarian Marshall
These Researchers Made AI Drive a Toyota Corolla to Get In-N-Out
Three engineers put GPT, Claude, and Grok in charge of a real car. Only one of them was successful.
Will Knight
A Tesla Flying Car? I Don’t Know, Man
The Federal Aviation Administration will likely have thoughts about the Tesla Roadster 2’s ability to leave the ground.
Aarian Marshall
Jaguar Finally Reveals Its Biggest Gamble: the Type 01
Following a viral rebrand and two years without selling a new vehicle, the British marque takes the covers off the most divisive electric car yet seen.
Jeremy White
Here’s Exactly How Tesla Made Its New 230-Mph Car ‘Fly’
It turns out the Roadster 2 both sucks and blows.
Jeremy White
The Physics Behind Tesla’s Flying Roadster
To understand how Elon’s new car hops, glides, and sticks upside down, we need to talk about friction and force.
Rhett Allain
Tesla’s Roadster 2 Is Late—and Entering a Different EV World
Nine years after its reveal, the overdue Roadster is set to debut on Thursday to an EV market that has grown skeptical of electric hypercars.
Aarian Marshall
GM Wants Your Car to Do Your Chores
The Detroit automaker wants your next vehicle to be a personal assistant, a best friend, and an autonomous errand-runner.
Aarian Marshall
Your Driverless Cab Is Spying on You
Self-driving cars from Waymo, Zoox, and Tesla are studded with cameras and sensors. Some of them are pointing at riders.
Aarian Marshall
The Men Spending $50,000 Just to Reserve a Tesla Roadster
The base model—without thrusters or the flight system—will likely cost several times that amount to buy. “I’m going to do everything in my power to get the flying one,” says one customer.
Aarian Marshall
Sony Wants You to Forget About Discs With Its Gorgeous Transparent Controllers
Sony has new, spiffy see-through controllers and covers for its PlayStation 5 that let you see the hardware guts inside.
Boone Ashworth
America’s Hybrid Hype Has Hit the Used Market
Demand is so high that some used cars are selling for more than new ones.
Aarian Marshall