1 extra percentage point of motor efficiency is worth, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, well over $500 per year with a 200 hp motor. Adding a percent point of efficiency to even a 50-hp motor can save well over $100 a year. For more, see “Energy Efficient Motion” article in this issue. www.controleng.com, www.doe.gov

3 inks in disposable battery testers (on batteries or battery packages) are thermochromic (varies with temperature), conductive (conducts electricity), and regular ink. Applied in layers with a fairly normal printing press, they create an inexpensive printed design that varies by amount of electricity received. www.howstuffworks.com

7 publications are available at the Ready Business Website, designed by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to help businesses with disaster preparedness. There’s a section for families and children. September is National Preparedness Month. www.ready.gov/business

9 motors power the world’s largest and strongest robot. The Kuka KR 1000 titan 6-axis robot recently earned its place as the world’s strongest robot in the Guinness Book of Records. Static torque of 60,000 Newton meters (Nm) is said to deliver power equivalent to a mid-sized car. Payload capacity is 1,000 kg (2,204.6 lb), and reach is 3,200 mm (10.5 ft). www.kukarobotics.com, www.guinnessworldrecords.com

154,385 subscribers read Control Engineering brands in North America, Europe, Poland, Russia, Ukraine, Czech Republic, China, and Asia; email newsletter recipients number over 160,000, and multiple Websites total over 665,000 page views monthly, according to BPA and publisher information. Get to it all via www.controleng.com.

22 “not ready for prime time” ideas at Google Labs (as of June 20) include Google Source Code to search public source code. Also see 14 “Graduates of Labs” applications. http://labs.google.com

12 of the top dozen searches in the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) standards area for April 2007 had to do with wired or wireless communications and networking. Find out what’s leading now. www.ieee.org/web/standards/home/find.html

28,600 new commercial airplanes (passenger and freighter) will be built by 2026, for $2.8 trillion, says Boeing in its 2007 Current Market Outlook. These will serve an expected 6.1% annual increase in air cargo traffic and a 5% annual increase in passenger traffic. www.boeing.com/commercial/cmo

2012 is when the European aerospace giant EADS hopes to begin space tourism. The Astrium division says it will build a space plane to carry fare-paying passengers on a sub-orbital ride more than 62.14 miles (100 km) above earth. Save your money; tickets may cost up to $266,200. To read the story and see images, go to http://news.bbc.co.uk