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Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) — An 80-year-old Japanese man on Thursday became the oldest person to reach the top of Mt. Everest, officials said.

Yuichiro Miura reached the top of Everest Thursday morning with his physician son Gota, mountaineering official Gyanendra Shrestha said from the base of Everest.

Miura’s achievement eclipses that of a Nepali man who climbed Everest at age 76 in 2008.

The oldest woman to climb Everest is also a Japanese. She was 73 when she reached the top last year.

First Saudi woman climbs Mount Everest

Sherpas, climbers sign Everest treaty

Miura broke his hip in an accident two years ago, and he underwent heart surgery in January.

“I am still healthy and strong. I think I have a good chance to reach the summit of Everest,” he said via phone earlier this month.

To prepare, Miura walked three times a week with loads of 25 to 30 kilograms (55 to 66 lbs) on his back.

He reached the top of the 8,848-meter (29,035-foot) peak twice before: in 2003 at age 70, and in 2008 at age 75.

“I have a dream to climb Everest at this age,” he said. “If you have a dream, never give up. Dreams come true.”

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first expedition to reach the summit of Everest: Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay made it to the top of the mountain on May 29, 1953.

Earlier this month, a 27-year-old graphic designer has made history by becoming the first Saudi woman to conquer the mount.

READ: A fight at 23,000 feet? Climbers accuse Sherpas of Mount Everest attack

READ: Childhood dream leads climber up Everest — twice in one week

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_world/~3/SumQrVUM5ec/index.html

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Lockheed Martin’s HULC exoskeleton is designed to allow soldiers to carry superhuman loads.

Cyberdyne’s HAL-5 suit could take rescue workers into dangerous zones in the future. For now, it is allowing hundreds of Japanese patients suffering from muscle weakness to get around.

Kobalabs’ Muscle Suit aims to provide a smart solution for health workers needing to carry people and heavy loads.

The Argo ReWalk aims to give people suffering from paralysis the power to walk again. It has already propelled Claire Lomas (pictured) to the finish of the London Marathon.

Ekso Bionics is also developing exoskeletons for rehabilitation. Here, Architect Robert Woo takes his first steps since a construction accident paralyzed him from the waist down.

Nasa’s X-1 suit could be vital for astronauts venturing into deep space.

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(CNN) — If you’ve been dreaming of strapping on your own “Iron Man” armor, you might have to wait a while longer. But revolutionary “bionic exoskeletons,” like the metal suit worn by comic book hero Tony Stark, might be closer than you think — just don’t expect to fly away in one.

Exoskeleton developers working in rehabilitation are leading the way, creating wearable robotic suits that allow people with lower-body paralysis to walk upright again.

Other developers are hoping to enhance users’ existing strengths, with the DARPA Warrior Web project aiming to produce an undetectable under-suit exoskeleton for the U.S. Military.

Bionics expert Thomas Sugar says that medical and military exoskeletons are going to become a much more common sight — and that exoskeletons for the average person are not far behind.

“In the next five years we’re going to see more and more exoskeletons out there in practice,” says Sugar, associate professor at the Department of Engineering, Arizona State University.

In addition to personal systems being pioneered in Japan that aim to “give aging people a spring back in their step,” Sugar says devices for the active individual or “weekend hiker” are on the horizon: “If you live near where I do and want to go out and hike the Grand Canyon, exoskeleton devices 10-15 years from now could assist you to do that.”

Interactive: Explore the bionic body

But there are hurdles that need to be overcome. Finding batteries powerful enough to fuel an exoskeleton’s motorized joints remains a key stumbling block, explains Sugar. But he says that the real acid test for exoskeletons of the future is whether the device can interpret the user’s intent effectively into action.

“If you look at some of the devices out there, they’re actually quite hard to walk in,” says Sugar. “You’ve got to make sure they really enhance people’s abilities.”

Here are some of the most advanced exoskeletons aiming to supercharge our lives in the near future.

Lockheed Martin HULC

Defense technology developer Lockheed Martin leads the efforts to develop a exoskeleton fit for the battlefield with its Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC).

Exoskeleton helps paralyzed walk

Thoughts move bionic arm

The world’s most advanced bionic leg

Amputee rock climber heals with bionics

The system aims to divert up to 200 lbs in weight through powered titanium legs while allowing the user to move freely.

Lockheed claims that a fully laden soldier will retain the ability to march at 3mph and even break into 10mph sprint “bursts” while wearing the battery-powered HULC.

The system is designed to reduce the stress on the leg and back muscles — a common cause of injury among soldiers — and comes with a Lift Assist Device attachment that allows a soldier to safely lift heavy loads with the strength of two or more men.

Read this: Are bionic superhumans on the horizon?

Cyberdyne HAL-5

HAL made news at the time of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in 2011, when Japanese firm Cyberdyne ventured its robot suits as the disaster-fighting protection of the future.

While a radiation-resistant model is yet to see action, HAL-5 Type-B has become the first personal exoskeleton robot to receive a global safety certificate.

Cyberdyne says that so far, 330 of the full-body exoskeletons have been leased to hospitals across Japan, where they assist patients with muscle weakness or disabilities due to stroke and spinal cord injuries.

The company boasts that it is the world’s first “cyborg-type robot” as the system interprets faint electrical signals in the skin around damaged muscles and moves the motorized joints in response.

Muscle Suit by Kobalab

Scientists from Tokyo University are gambling that they can beat the competition to launch a superstrong exoskeleton by shunning complex computer systems.

Kobayashi Labs’ Muscle Suit replaces electronic actuator motors with a system of inflatable pneumatic “artificial muscles” to help nurses or care workers carry elderly or ill patients.

Volunteers have been invited to try on the suit, which currently allows users to support 50kg with ease, carrying it with fixed arms, like a walking forklift truck.

Argo ReWalk

Argo’s ReWalk has already propelled former chiropractor Claire Lomas into the record books. Five years after a horseriding accident left Lomas paralyzed from the chest down, she became the first person to complete a marathon in a bionic exoskeleton at the London Marathon in May 2012, while using the ReWalk.

Already on the market for $65,000, the ReWalk enables people with spinal cord injuries to walk again and can now claim 220 trained users around the world.

Competitor Ekso Bionics has seen similar success — claiming to have powered one million steps with its 50lb wearable robot — and will launch a personal version in 2014.

Read: Exoskeleton allows paraplegics to walk

Nasa X-1

What if an exoskeleton inhibited a person’s movement as well and helped it? It doesn’t seem like such a useful idea on Earth — but up in the resistance-free environment of space, Nasa astronauts could benefit from a little hindrance.

The 25kg X-1 has been designed to allow astronauts to exercise without the Earth’s gravitational pull and could be critical for future missions into deep space, NASA says.

The device could improve the health of crew aboard the International Space Station — and potentially during future long-duration missions to far away asteroids or Mars.

The legs have the added benefit of assisting movement, with four motorized joints, if used here on Earth — but there are currently no details on when the legs might see a wider release.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/tech/innovation/exoskeleton-robot-suit/index.html?eref=edition

Kathmandu, Nepal (CNN) — An 80-year-old Japanese man on Thursday became the oldest man to reach the top of Mt. Everest, officials said.

Yuichiro Miura reached the top of Everest Thursday morning with his physician son Gota, mountaineering official Gyanendra Shrestha said from the base of Everest.

Miura’s achievement eclipses that of a Nepali man who climbed Everest at age 76 in 2008.

The oldest woman to climb Everest is also a Japanese. She was 73 when she reached the top last year.

First Saudi woman climbs Mount Everest

Sherpas, climbers sign Everest treaty

Miura broke his hip in an accident two years ago, and he underwent heart surgery in January.

“I am still healthy and strong. I think I have a good chance to reach the summit of Everest,” he said via phone earlier this month.

To prepare, Miura walked three times a week with loads of 25 to 30 kilograms (55 to 66 lbs) on his back.

He reached the top of the 8,848-meter (29,035-foot) peak twice before: in 2003 at age 70, and in 2008 at age 75.

“I have a dream to climb Everest at this age,” he said. “If you have a dream, never give up. Dreams come true.”

This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first expedition to reach the summit of Everest: Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay made it to the top of the mountain on May 29, 1953.

Earlier this month, a 27-year-old graphic designer has made history by becoming the first Saudi woman to conquer the mount.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/23/world/asia/nepal-everest-record/index.html?eref=edition

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Lockheed Martin’s HULC exoskeleton is designed to allow soldiers to carry superhuman loads.

Cyberdyne’s HAL-5 suit could take rescue workers into dangerous zones in the future. For now, it is allowing hundreds of Japanese patients suffering from muscle weakness to get around.

Kobalabs’ Muscle Suit aims to provide a smart solution for health workers needing to carry people and heavy loads.

The Argo ReWalk aims to give people suffering from paralysis the power to walk again. It has already propelled Claire Lomas (pictured) to the finish of the London Marathon.

Ekso Bionics is also developing exoskeletons for rehabilitation. Here, Architect Robert Woo takes his first steps since a construction accident paralyzed him from the waist down.

Nasa’s X-1 suit could be vital for astronauts venturing into deep space.

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(CNN) — If you’ve been dreaming of strapping on your own “Iron Man” armor, you might have to wait a while longer. But revolutionary “bionic exoskeletons,” like the metal suit worn by comic book hero Tony Stark, might be closer than you think — just don’t expect to fly away in one.

Exoskeleton developers working in rehabilitation are leading the way, creating wearable robotic suits that allow people with lower-body paralysis to walk upright again.

Other developers are hoping to enhance users’ existing strengths, with the DARPA Warrior Web project aiming to produce an undetectable under-suit exoskeleton for the U.S. Military.

Bionics expert Thomas Sugar says that medical and military exoskeletons are going to become a much more common sight — and that exoskeletons for the average person are not far behind.

“In the next five years we’re going to see more and more exoskeletons out there in practice,” says Sugar, associate professor at the Department of Engineering, Arizona State University.

In addition to personal systems being pioneered in Japan that aim to “give aging people a spring back in their step,” Sugar says devices for the active individual or “weekend hiker” are on the horizon: “If you live near where I do and want to go out and hike the Grand Canyon, exoskeleton devices 10-15 years from now could assist you to do that.”

Interactive: Explore the bionic body

But there are hurdles that need to be overcome. Finding batteries powerful enough to fuel an exoskeleton’s motorized joints remains a key stumbling block, explains Sugar. But he says that the real acid test for exoskeletons of the future is whether the device can interpret the user’s intent effectively into action.

“If you look at some of the devices out there, they’re actually quite hard to walk in,” says Sugar. “You’ve got to make sure they really enhance people’s abilities.”

Here are some of the most advanced exoskeletons aiming to supercharge our lives in the near future.

Lockheed Martin HULC

Defense technology developer Lockheed Martin leads the efforts to develop a exoskeleton fit for the battlefield with its Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC).

Exoskeleton helps paralyzed walk

Thoughts move bionic arm

The world’s most advanced bionic leg

Amputee rock climber heals with bionics

The system aims to divert up to 200 lbs in weight through powered titanium legs while allowing the user to move freely.

Lockheed claims that a fully laden soldier will retain the ability to march at 3mph and even break into 10mph sprint “bursts” while wearing the battery-powered HULC.

The system is designed to reduce the stress on the leg and back muscles — a common cause of injury among soldiers — and comes with a Lift Assist Device attachment that allows a soldier to safely lift heavy loads with the strength of two or more men.

Read this: Are bionic superhumans on the horizon?

Cyberdyne HAL-5

HAL made news at the time of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in 2011, when Japanese firm Cyberdyne ventured its robot suits as the disaster-fighting protection of the future.

While a radiation-resistant model is yet to see action, HAL-5 Type-B has become the first personal exoskeleton robot to receive a global safety certificate.

Cyberdyne says that so far, 330 of the full-body exoskeletons have been leased to hospitals across Japan, where they assist patients with muscle weakness or disabilities due to stroke and spinal cord injuries.

The company boasts that it is the world’s first “cyborg-type robot” as the system interprets faint electrical signals in the skin around damaged muscles and moves the motorized joints in response.

Muscle Suit by Kobalab

Scientists from Tokyo University are gambling that they can beat the competition to launch a superstrong exoskeleton by shunning complex computer systems.

Kobayashi Labs’ Muscle Suit replaces electronic actuator motors with a system of inflatable pneumatic “artificial muscles” to help nurses or care workers carry elderly or ill patients.

Volunteers have been invited to try on the suit, which currently allows users to support 50kg with ease, carrying it with fixed arms, like a walking forklift truck.

Argo ReWalk

Argo’s ReWalk has already propelled former chiropractor Claire Lomas into the record books. Five years after a horseriding accident left Lomas paralyzed from the chest down, she became the first person to complete a marathon in a bionic exoskeleton at the London Marathon in May 2012, while using the ReWalk.

Already on the market for $65,000, the ReWalk enables people with spinal cord injuries to walk again and can now claim 220 trained users around the world.

Competitor Ekso Bionics has seen similar success — claiming to have powered one million steps with its 50lb wearable robot — and will launch a personal version in 2014.

Read: Exoskeleton allows paraplegics to walk

Nasa X-1

What if an exoskeleton inhibited a person’s movement as well and helped it? It doesn’t seem like such a useful idea on Earth — but up in the resistance-free environment of space, Nasa astronauts could benefit from a little hindrance.

The 25kg X-1 has been designed to allow astronauts to exercise without the Earth’s gravitational pull and could be critical for future missions into deep space, NASA says.

The device could improve the health of crew aboard the International Space Station — and potentially during future long-duration missions to far away asteroids or Mars.

The legs have the added benefit of assisting movement, with four motorized joints, if used here on Earth — but there are currently no details on when the legs might see a wider release.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/tech/innovation/exoskeleton-robot-suit/index.html?eref=edition

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Lockheed Martin’s HULC exoskeleton is designed to allow soldiers to carry superhuman loads.

Cyberdyne’s HAL-5 suit could take rescue workers into dangerous zones in the future. For now, it is allowing hundreds of Japanese patients suffering from muscle weakness to get around.

Kobalabs’ Muscle Suit aims to provide a smart solution for health workers needing to carry people and heavy loads.

The Argo ReWalk aims to give people suffering from paralysis the power to walk again. It has already propelled Claire Lomas (pictured) to the finish of the London Marathon.

Ekso Bionics is also developing exoskeletons for rehabilitation. Here, Architect Robert Woo takes his first steps since a construction accident paralyzed him from the waist down.

Nasa’s X-1 suit could be vital for astronauts venturing into deep space.

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2

3

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(CNN) — If you’ve been dreaming of strapping on your own “Iron Man” armor, you might have to wait a while longer. But revolutionary “bionic exoskeletons,” like the metal suit worn by comic book hero Tony Stark, might be closer than you think — just don’t expect to fly away in one.

Exoskeleton developers working in rehabilitation are leading the way, creating wearable robotic suits that allow people with lower-body paralysis to walk upright again.

Other developers are hoping to enhance users’ existing strengths, with the DARPA Warrior Web project aiming to produce an undetectable under-suit exoskeleton for the U.S. Military.

Bionics expert Thomas Sugar says that medical and military exoskeletons are going to become a much more common sight — and that exoskeletons for the average person are not far behind.

“In the next five years we’re going to see more and more exoskeletons out there in practice,” says Sugar, associate professor at the Department of Engineering, Arizona State University.

In addition to personal systems being pioneered in Japan that aim to “give aging people a spring back in their step,” Sugar says devices for the active individual or “weekend hiker” are on the horizon: “If you live near where I do and want to go out and hike the Grand Canyon, exoskeleton devices 10-15 years from now could assist you to do that.”

Interactive: Explore the bionic body

But there are hurdles that need to be overcome. Finding batteries powerful enough to fuel an exoskeleton’s motorized joints remains a key stumbling block, explains Sugar. But he says that the real acid test for exoskeletons of the future is whether the device can interpret the user’s intent effectively into action.

“If you look at some of the devices out there, they’re actually quite hard to walk in,” says Sugar. “You’ve got to make sure they really enhance people’s abilities.”

Here are some of the most advanced exoskeletons aiming to supercharge our lives in the near future.

Lockheed Martin HULC

Defense technology developer Lockheed Martin leads the efforts to develop a exoskeleton fit for the battlefield with its Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC).

Exoskeleton helps paralyzed walk

Thoughts move bionic arm

The world’s most advanced bionic leg

Amputee rock climber heals with bionics

The system aims to divert up to 200 lbs in weight through powered titanium legs while allowing the user to move freely.

Lockheed claims that a fully laden soldier will retain the ability to march at 3mph and even break into 10mph sprint “bursts” while wearing the battery-powered HULC.

The system is designed to reduce the stress on the leg and back muscles — a common cause of injury among soldiers — and comes with a Lift Assist Device attachment that allows a soldier to safely lift heavy loads with the strength of two or more men.

Read this: Are bionic superhumans on the horizon?

Cyberdyne HAL-5

HAL made news at the time of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in 2011, when Japanese firm Cyberdyne ventured its robot suits as the disaster-fighting protection of the future.

While a radiation-resistant model is yet to see action, HAL-5 Type-B has become the first personal exoskeleton robot to receive a global safety certificate.

Cyberdyne says that so far, 330 of the full-body exoskeletons have been leased to hospitals across Japan, where they assist patients with muscle weakness or disabilities due to stroke and spinal cord injuries.

The company boasts that it is the world’s first “cyborg-type robot” as the system interprets faint electrical signals in the skin around damaged muscles and moves the motorized joints in response.

Muscle Suit by Kobalab

Scientists from Tokyo University are gambling that they can beat the competition to launch a superstrong exoskeleton by shunning complex computer systems.

Kobayashi Labs’ Muscle Suit replaces electronic actuator motors with a system of inflatable pneumatic “artificial muscles” to help nurses or care workers carry elderly or ill patients.

Volunteers have been invited to try on the suit, which currently allows users to support 50kg with ease, carrying it with fixed arms, like a walking forklift truck.

Argo ReWalk

Argo’s ReWalk has already propelled former chiropractor Claire Lomas into the record books. Five years after a horseriding accident left Lomas paralyzed from the chest down, she became the first person to complete a marathon in a bionic exoskeleton at the London Marathon in May 2012, while using the ReWalk.

Already on the market for $65,000, the ReWalk enables people with spinal cord injuries to walk again and can now claim 220 trained users around the world.

Competitor Ekso Bionics has seen similar success — claiming to have powered one million steps with its 50lb wearable robot — and will launch a personal version in 2014.

Read: Exoskeleton allows paraplegics to walk

Nasa X-1

What if an exoskeleton inhibited a person’s movement as well and helped it? It doesn’t seem like such a useful idea on Earth — but up in the resistance-free environment of space, Nasa astronauts could benefit from a little hindrance.

The 25kg X-1 has been designed to allow astronauts to exercise without the Earth’s gravitational pull and could be critical for future missions into deep space, NASA says.

The device could improve the health of crew aboard the International Space Station — and potentially during future long-duration missions to far away asteroids or Mars.

The legs have the added benefit of assisting movement, with four motorized joints, if used here on Earth — but there are currently no details on when the legs might see a wider release.

Article source: http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/edition_technology/~3/qZJgi7-YzWU/index.html

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The Monaco Grand Prix has been held in the picturesque principality of Monte Carlo on the French Riviera since 1929 and the race remains the jewel in Formula One’s crown.

Monaco is a magnet for celebrities like Hollywood actor Will Smith and popstar Nicole Scherzinger — who is dating Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. Smith and “Scherzy” are pictured with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone in 2012.

The tiny city will welcome 200,000 fans over the grand prix weekend with many of them watching from yachts in the harbor.

The racing drivers — like Red Bull’s 2012 winner Mark Webber shown here — speed within inches of Monte Carlo’s famous landmarks.

Monaco’s street circuit is relatively unchanged since Formula One cars began racing there in 1950. Stirling Moss says his victory in Monaco in 1961, shown here, was the best race of his career.

The late triple world champion Ayrton Senna won the Monaco race a record six times and says he entered a “trance-like” state while driving through the narrow streets.

But for some sun-seekers in Monaco, the cars are a distraction…

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(CNN) — “The last couple of weeks I’ve been at home have been murder with the traffic,” bemoans Monte Carlo resident Jenson Button.

Like most Formula One protagonists, the McLaren man loves the thrill of racing in the Monaco Grand Prix — it’s just that he is less keen on Monte Carlo’s traffic jams in the build-up to the race.

“It’s been a nightmare,” the English driver, who recently moved back to the principality from the British island of Guernsey, told CNN.

“Putting up the grandstands takes a long time so the city does change quite a bit.

“In the winter it’s pretty quiet. You see a lot of people that you know and I train with the same people. Monte Carlo is like a quiet, peaceful village really. There’s also a new Irish pub that I like — there’s a good pint of Guinness there!”

Read: Grit and glamor – the magic of Monaco

The magic of the Monaco Grand Prix

How does Jenson Button keep fit?

Who is the greatest F1 driver ever?

Button, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton are just a handful of F1 racers who have mixed business with pleasure by calling Monaco their home. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, son of Finland’s 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg, can boast that he grew up there.

It makes sense for wealthy drivers to live in Monaco — after all, the independent state on the French Riviera has thrived on its reputation as a playground for the rich and famous since the late 1800s. Just as importantly its tax laws are favorable compared to its European neighbors.

But for one weekend in May the streets of Monte Carlo are not just for the well-heeled — they are for racing on.

The precipitous, winding roads have evolved into a thrilling street circuit ready to host this weekend’s grand prix.

The most famous race in Formula One — a fixture on the calendar since 1950 — brings a change of pace to Monaco’s Mediterranean idyll.

The metamorphosis, overseen by the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), takes two months to complete and calls on the expertise of 200 construction workers to build 1,100 tonnes of grandstands, 900 tonnes of pit garages and 21 miles of safety barriers.

Read: Legendary F1 partners to be reunited

The street circuit has one of the smallest capacities on F1′s calendar, with a total of 200,000 fans expected to watch the cars from the grandstands, hotel balconies and terraces — not forgetting the yachts moored in the harbor — over the weekend.

A crowd of 200,000 may sound small but when the pocketsize principality is less than two square kilometers — half the size of New York’s Central Park — that is quite a crowd to pack in.

“The place is a little quieter the rest of the year,” says Carol Olivié-Etiévant, deputy manager of the Hotel Hermitage, which overlooks the F1 circuit in the heart of Monte Carlo.

“During these four days people are living day and night. There are parties in the harbor, on every terrace, so as Monte Carlo is a tiny place, every place is crowded,” she told CNN.

“There are other busy weekends in Monaco such as the open tennis tournament, the boat show in September and the Red Cross Ball but for this weekend of the grand prix it is very unusual.

Size matters for Monaco’s businesses

Alain Prost calls for French GP return

World’s most expensive property

“Thousands of people come for the day to Monaco, all the hotels are full, the restaurants are packed and we have many yachts in the harbor. This is most definitely the busiest one.

“For the month of May, Monaco is completely dedicated to Formula One. We have stands in the streets, paddocks in the harbor, and the configuration of the city is different because we close the roads. Monte Carlo is a completely different place.”

Read: Pirelli admit tire testing ‘inadequacies’

The locals, known as Monegasques, are prepared to put up with a month or two of disruption because the grand prix is very good for business — and, perhaps more importantly, for Monaco’s global brand.

“The grand prix is one of the things that helps distinguish Monaco from other Mediterranean destinations and gives it an additional layer of glamor which its rivals lack,” Christian Sylt of Formula One Money told CNN.

“The race keeps the principality in the public eye, which in turn attracts tourists and business conventions. The race itself directly brings around $120 million into the principality, with the bordering towns, such as Menton in France and Ventimiglia in Italy, taking a total of $12 million annually.”

Kissing the barriers

For businesses like Olivié-Etiévant’s five-star hotel, the allure of the grand prix adds extra cache for its clients all-year-round — and the race weekend enables it to raise its prices, with a four-day package starting at $10,400.

The Monaco GP — the brainchild of local Anthony Noghes and first run in 1929 — is also important to the global money-making juggernaut that is F1.

While other countries have spent millions and millions of dollars on new circuits in Abu Dhabi and Austin, Texas, for example, the Monaco race is so intrinsic to the image of F1 that race organizers the ACM have a special arrangement with the sport’s promoters.

“Monaco is the only race on the calendar that doesn’t pay a race hosting fee to the Formula One Group,” explained Sylt. “With some rival circuits paying more than $60 million, it’s a big saving.

Tech guru Lowe back in the fast lane

“Monaco’s history and glamor make it a very important part of the F1 calendar. The race is well-known around the world and is a magnet to the rich and famous. This is great publicity for F1 and also means that there are many potential sponsors and investors in attendance, making it a once-a-year opportunity for F1 and the teams.”

Mark Webber receives the winning trophy from Prince Albert II of Monaco after his superb victory from pole.

Red Bull driver Webber leads the way but behind him Romain Grosjean forces Michael Schumacher to go wide in an early clash.

Kamui Kobayashi of the Sauber team goes airborne in spectacular fashion at the Monaco Grand Prix.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone with Hollywood actor Will Smith and Lewis Hamilton’s girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger.

A view of the track from the harbor area of Monte Carlo which is part of the tight street circuit for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Webber takes a post-race dip as the Red Bull team celebrate a third consecutive Monaco triumph.

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Webber seals Monaco Grand Prix triumph

Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were long-time rivals before they became teammates at McLaren.

Prost and Senna (No.1) clash at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in 1989. Prost clinched the title after the Brazilian was controversially disqualified after winning the race.

As they both battled for world titles at McLaren, Prost and Senna’s relationship came under great strain.

Stand off: Senna and Prost walk away after the early crash at Suzuka in the final race of the 1990 season which left the Brazilian as world champion.

Prost’s time with McLaren proved the most fruitful of his career as he captured three world titles.

Prost earned the nickname ‘The Professor’ for his thoughtful and studied approach to Formula One racing.

Prost competing in wet conditions at the Monaco Grand Prix which he won four times during his glittering career.

Prost and Senna formed a united team in 1988 as the latter won the championship for McLaren.

The medical team at Imola tend to the stricken Senna after his fateful crash in the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.

Prost joined a pantheon of Formula One greats at Senna’s funeral in Sao Paulo in 1994.

In the latter part of career Prost had to battle with the youthful exuberance of future seven-time champion Michael Schumacher.

Prost is a keen cyclist and is pictured here at the end of the 2009 L’Etape du Tour. The race enables 8,500 amateur cyclists to attempt a mountain stage of the Tour de France each year. The 2009 event was staged between Montelimar and Mout Ventoux, with Prost finishing 258th.

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United in rivalry: Prost and Senna

“I wouldn’t say I’m happy in the Formula 1 paddock,” Mark Webber told CNN. “It’s an environment that’s not always real. You can click your fingers for food, for whatever you want really. But for me, I always try to ensure that I treat people as I’d treat myself.

Mark Webber led the way from pole on the way to his eventual victory at the Monaco Grand Prix — his first win of the season.

Webber takes a post-race dip as the Red Bull team celebrate another Monaco GP triumph in May. It was the second time in three years that Webber had won the sport’s prestigious race.

Red Bull’s Australian driver Mark Webber celebrates after winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone — his second victory of the 2012 season. The Australian held off Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in a close battle to win the race.

Webber is very much the understudy to double world champion Sebastian Vettel, who is seemingly on his way to a third consecutive world title.

Vettel has long been nurtured by Helmut Marko, titled a motorsport consultant at Red Bull but the eyes, ears and mouth piece of team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, and a figure Webber has not always seen eye to eye with.

Two days after his second win of the season at Silverstone in the British Grand Prix, Webber penned a new deal with Red Bull Racing, extending his contract with the team to the end of the 2013 season.

Before extending his Red Bull contract, Webber had talks with Ferrari over a possible switch to the Italian team. “Ferrari approached us first,” said the Australian. “Things happen for a reason and it feels I’m staying here for the right reason. We made the decision just before Silverstone when both teams seemed pretty interested. I’m happy with that decision.”

Webber’s first love was for motorbikes, and he used to race them as a youngster, before turning to go-karts when he was a teenager.

Webber switched to karting as a 14-year-old and the move paid instant dividends as he won his state championship in New South Wales. The Australian describes the medium as “very raw.”

Webber started off in Formula One as a test driver for the former Bennetton team in 2001 and got his big break in the form of a race seat with Minardi the following season.

Webber still looks fondly upon his time as a go-kart driver and recently took to the seat again as part of the Red Bull Kart Fight event in Japan.

Webber says: “Karting is the best way for you to get a feel of how to race each other, dealing with the competition, dealing with winning, dealing with losing and you soak it up so much at a young age and learn very fast.”

The forthcoming U.S. Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas will be the first F1 race to be held in the country since 2007.

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Mark Webber: From kart to cockpit

Although money and glamor grease the wheels at the Monaco GP, it does not necessarily follow that the event is a profitable enterprise for Prince Albert II’s sovereign city-state.

“The total budget for the race is around $35 million and the state provides a subsidy of $7 million towards this,” Sylt added. “However, the cost of preparing the circuit for the grand prix means that even without paying a hosting fee the race rarely makes a profit.”

With so much as stake at this weekend’s GP — including the small matter of the 2013 drivers’ championship — it also helps that the quality of racing around the streets of Monte Carlo remains undiminished.

Read: Alonso enjoys ‘emotional’ home F1 win

Apart from modifications to improve safety, the two-mile loop through the narrow, winding streets, past the majestic Casino, through the tunnel and along the harbor brimming with boats has presented the world’s fastest racers with the same rollercoaster challenge for the last 70 years.

It is the slowest and shortest race on F1′s calendar but for many drivers it is the most thrilling. Brazil’s late triple world champion Ayrton Senna — winner of a record six Monaco grands prix — said he entered a trance-like state when racing on the limit between Monte Carlo’s narrow barriers.

“Monaco is unlike any other racetrack in Formula One,” said Button, who triumphed there in 2009 on the way to winning the world title.

“A qualifying lap around here is an exhilarating experience for a driver; you turn into corners on the limit and you kiss every barrier at the exit. It’s a great challenge.”

For the month of May, Monaco hums with the rhythm of F1, and the drivers, fans and Monegasques alike anticipate the high-octane pleasures to come at this race.

“I was born in Monaco and in my life I’ve missed one grand prix,” recalled Olivié-Etiévant. “I was very sad when I missed it.

“We are very proud. Very. This is a legendary event and is really very important. It’s an atmosphere that you feel, an incredible excitement. As a Monegasque I also enjoy it very much.”

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/sport/motorsport/monaco-grand-prix-f1-button-motorsport/index.html?eref=edition

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According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Panama City is the world’s third cheapest major city. Over the past decade, however, Panama has enjoyed the fastest growing economy in Latin America, bringing new luxury hotels, restaurants and services.

For the indecisive gourmand, Manolo Caracol serves a fantastic nine-course tasting menu for $36 per person. Blueberry ice cream with sugarcane honey (pictured) is a typical dessert.

In the old town of Casco Viejo, the Canal House has just three suites (from $320 per night) set around a large wooden staircase. The high-end guesthouse is owned by two sisters and loved for its quirky charm and homemade cooking.

Latin America’s first Waldorf Astoria hotel opened in March 2013. Book early and rooms start from $159, with that swanky pool included.

It’s not just about heavy shipping. The Panama Canal is one of the world’s true man-made marvels, and beautiful, too. Numerous land, water and aerial tours are available from Panama City.

Casa del Horno is a pretty boutique hotel on a colorful cobbled street in Casco Viejo. Surrounded by churches and plazas, it’s one of many colonial buildings to be renovated in recent years, making Casco Viejo feel a bit like Cartagena in neighboring Colombia.

The year-old Tantalo Hotel has brought a new sense of style to the capital. Each of its 12 rooms was designed by a different Panamanian artist. Designs range from gentle and flowery to seductive, with red and black walls and silver ceiling studs.

New everything seems to be sprouting up across the capital. Healthy competition is keeping standards high and Panama City now has a plethora of top-quality, luxury experiences for cut prices. Affluence is bringing sights like these yachts to Puerto Amador, a Panama City suburb.

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(CNN) — When the Economist Intelligence Unit released its most recent Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, the spotlight, as ever, fell on the world’s most expensive cities.

Tokyo came in on top of the pile of places that drain the color from your wallet, while Osaka and Sydney were second and third.

World’s most expensive cities

But what about the other end of the spectrum — how about a holiday where you can live it up without hemorrhaging cash?

The world’s cheapest city is Tehran, Iran, followed by Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Both have rich heritages, but Iran and Saudi Arabia are better known for generating controversial headlines than attracting tourists.

In third place, however, Panama City popped up. The Central American country is best known for hats and a canal — now we’ve got a reason to make sure our passport is up to date!

Over the past decade, Panama has enjoyed the fastest growing economy in Latin America.

As a result, new hotels and restaurants have sprouted across the capital. Healthy competition is keeping standards high, and Panama City has a plethora of top-quality, luxury experiences for cut prices.

Logistics

Before stepping foot outside the airport, you’ve started saving. All tourists arriving at Tocumen International Airport are given travel insurance for 30 days. It is granted by the Panamanian Tourism Authority; the government has provided the service since it signed an $8 million deal with Assicurazioni Generali.

Next up: cash. The Panamanian balboa is linked with the dollar and the two currencies are interchangeable, so there’s no paying a commission for changing currency.

As for airport transfers, a standard taxi to the city center costs $25. You could arrive in style with a Panama Luxury Limousine for $88.50. The same service would cost $145 in Rio de Janeiro, or $427 in Tokyo.

More cents can be saved (and you can do your bit for the environment) by avoiding bottled water. Tap water in Panama City is safe to drink, not a given in the region.

Hotels

Waldorf Astoria Panama

Latin America’s first Waldorf Astoria hotel opened in March 2013.

Book early and rooms start from $159.

Located on Calle Uruguay, aka “restaurant row,” the 248 rooms have metallic, glass and crystal decor designed by Miami-based Ba-Haus/KNF.

A stay here certainly doesn’t feel like skimping. The outdoor swimming pool is covered in gold tiles, there’s a swanky spa and each guest is given a personal concierge.

Overseen by head chef Kalych Padro Alvarado, four restaurants include a sushi bar and a French brasserie.

Waldorf Astoria Panama, 47th and Uruguay Streets; rooms from $159; +507 294 8000

Casa del Horno

Founded in 1501, Panama was a Spanish colony for three centuries. Known as Casco Viejo, the historic part of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Casa del Horno (Oven House) sits on a colorful cobbled street in Casco Viejo. Surrounded by churches and plazas, it’s one of many colonial buildings to be renovated in recent years, making Casco Viejo feel like Cartagena in neighboring Colombia.

Built in the 1850s, the eight-room hotel was originally a bakery. Stone walls remain, alongside art deco wooden furniture and all the modern fixtures, including LCD TVs and iPod docks.

The hotel’s cafe and restaurant are reached via the pavement, avoiding the clinical feel that can befall hotel restaurants.

Casa del Horno, Avenue B and Eighth Street; +507 212 0052; rooms from $250 for two-person suite

Tantalo Hotel

The year-old Tantalo Hotel has 12 rooms, each designed by a different Panamanian artist. Designs range from gentle and flowery to seductive, with red-and-black walls and silver ceiling studs.

Downstairs, a “living wall” is made from 900 lush plants. The restaurant dishes up Panama-style tapas, such as octopus with lemongrass and ginger. Cocktails, wine and several dishes to share will cost around $30 a head.

Each month, paintings in the communal areas change.

“The idea is for the fourth floor to be like an art gallery that you can wander around with a drink,” says assistant manager Catalina Bermudez.

The big, buzzing rooftop bar has panoramic views and hosts events including a monthly Cuban music evening.

Tantalo, Avenue B and Eighth Street; +507 262 4030; rooms from $120

Canal House

Canal House is a creaky 19th-century mansion in Casco Viejo, and checking in feels like staying with a stately aunt. With just three suites set around a large wooden staircase, this high-end guesthouse is owned by two sisters and loved for its quirky charm and homemade cooking. It was called “the finest accommodation that exists in Panama,” by Panama 980 magazine.

Canal House, Calle 5a Este; +507 228-1907; rooms from $195, suites from $320

Dining and nightlife

Restaurante Angel (Via Argentina No. 6868, El Cangrejo; +507 263 6411) is the city’s special occasion Spanish restaurant. You’ll get impeccably prepared seafood, beef, lamb and rabbit in an elegant setting with crisp service for around $20-25 per person, not including drinks.

There’s big food and big atmosphere for reasonable prices at Las Bovedas (Plaza Francia; +507 228 8058), a French restaurant set in the arched vaults of a 300-year-old fort in Casco Viejo. Fresh seafood, steaks, snails (it’s a signature dish) and great service are the hallmarks at this dressy classic.

Panamanian food is a mix of European, Asian and African tastes. The best way to experience the fusion is at Maito (Calle 50, Coco del Mar; +507 391 4657). It’s not often you order plantain hash with fried ceviche and come out smiling. Then there’s the ropa vieja main of shredded beef with a goat cheese sauce. Panamanian chef Mario Castrellón trained in Barcelona and returned to his hometown with a mission to start a “new gastronomy” inspired by the canal — the idea being that the waterway literally brings these different influences to the city.

For the indecisive gourmand, Manolo Caracol (Avenida Central and Calle 3, +507 228 4640) serves a set nine-course tasting menu for $36 per person. Busy and smart, yet relaxed, the open kitchen churns out seafood, meat and vegetable dishes made with local ingredients, the majority of which come straight from chef Caracol’s farm. Highlights include seafood bisque, corn tortilla with chorizo, and coconut fish curry with yuca tortillas.

Not exactly luxury but tasty and cheap all the same, Mercado del Marisco seafood market (Avenida Balboa and Calle Eloy Alfaro) is a great place to wander. When Anthony Bourdain came to Panama, this was his first stop. Here you’ll find rows of al fresco stalls selling ceviche for $1.25 a cup. There’s also an upstairs restaurant with a larger menu with hearty fish stews and filleted sea bass.

New Casco Viejo coffeehouse Bajareque sells the world’s most expensive coffee, Geisha, for a reasonable $6.50 a cup. Panama is the world’s only producer of this rare coffee, which typically retails for $172.50 per kilo. Fitting for its name, Geisha coffee mainly sells in Japan and costs $50 a cup at Tokyo coffee shops like Horiguchi Coffee.

The primary nightlife spots are Calle Uruguay and Casco Viejo, both of which are lined with places to sample Panama’s four national beers, Panama, Balboa, Suarana and Atlas, for a couple of dollars.

In Casco Viejo, Habana Panama (Calle Eloy Alfaro y Calle 12 Este; +507 212 0152), isn’t just the hottest dance spot in the city, it’s an atmospheric salsa hall that recalls the elegance of old Cuba and Ricky Ricardo style. Live bands typically don’t hit the stage until midnight. For a typical $10 cover you’ll find fewer better shows (or more fun) anywhere.

Then there’s Barlovento (Calle 10 A; +507 6613 4345), a tropical-style rooftop bar where the beautifuls hang. With views over Casco Viejo (rather than the Panama City skyline over at Tántalo) and a DJ playing a mix of electronic music and Latin beats, the place is pumping on the weekends. Again there’s a $10 cover charge (if you’re male that is; women enter free) but you’d easily pay a $25 cover for the same deal in Mexico City.

Attractions

Panama Viejo

The oldest section of the city, Panama Viejo was burned to the ground in the late 17th century by British pirate (or privateer, depending who you ask) Sir Henry Morgan.

The crumbling remains of towers, forts and houses run along the coast waiting to be explored. The visitors center has a model showing the city before Morgan showed up.

Panama Viejo; +507 226 8915; $3 for museum, $4 for ruins, $6 for both; open Tuesday-Sunday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Panama Canal

The Panama Canal took 250,000 people more than 10 years to build (not counting the original failed French-led effort), transports 40 boats each day (taking eight to 10 hours per transit) and costs an average of $85,000 per vessel.

Luckily, tours are a little less, and a partial transit with Canal Bay Tours costs $135 per person, including breakfast, lunch and transfer though two sets of locks.

The Panama Canal celebrates its centenary in 2014, and to mark the occasion it’s undergoing a $5.25 billion modernization and expansion.

Progress is best viewed from above. Air Charter Panama arranges one-hour helicopter tours covering the Pacific and Atlantic sides of the canal from $749 for three passengers in a Robinson R44.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/17/travel/panama-city-luxury/index.html?eref=edition

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Lockheed Martin’s HULC exoskeleton is designed to allow soldiers to carry superhuman loads.

Cyberdyne’s HAL-5 suit could take rescue workers into dangerous zones in the future. For now, it is allowing hundreds of Japanese patients suffering from muscle weakness to get around.

Kobalabs’ Muscle Suit aims to provide a smart solution for health workers needing to carry people and heavy loads.

The Argo ReWalk aims to give people suffering from paralysis the power to walk again. It has already propelled Claire Lomas (pictured) to the finish of the London Marathon.

Ekso Bionics is also developing exoskeletons for rehabilitation. Here, Architect Robert Woo takes his first steps since a construction accident paralyzed him from the waist down.

Nasa’s X-1 suit could be vital for astronauts venturing into deep space.

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(CNN) — If you’ve been dreaming of strapping on your own “Iron Man” armor, you might have to wait a while longer. But revolutionary “bionic exoskeletons,” like the metal suit worn by comic book hero Tony Stark, might be closer than you think — just don’t expect to fly away in one.

Exoskeleton developers working in rehabilitation are leading the way, creating wearable robotic suits that allow people with lower-body paralysis to walk upright again.

Other developers are hoping to enhance users’ existing strengths, with the DARPA Warrior Web project aiming to produce an undetectable under-suit exoskeleton for the U.S. Military.

Bionics expert Thomas Sugar says that medical and military exoskeletons are going to become a much more common sight — and that exoskeletons for the average person are not far behind.

“In the next five years we’re going to see more and more exoskeletons out there in practice,” says Sugar, associate professor at the Department of Engineering, Arizona State University.

In addition to personal systems being pioneered in Japan that aim to “give aging people a spring back in their step,” Sugar says devices for the active individual or “weekend hiker” are on the horizon: “If you live near where I do and want to go out and hike the Grand Canyon, exoskeleton devices 10-15 years from now could assist you to do that.”

Interactive: Explore the bionic body

But there are hurdles that need to be overcome. Finding batteries powerful enough to fuel an exoskeleton’s motorized joints remains a key stumbling block, explains Sugar. But he says that the real acid test for exoskeletons of the future is whether the device can interpret the user’s intent effectively into action.

“If you look at some of the devices out there, they’re actually quite hard to walk in,” says Sugar. “You’ve got to make sure they really enhance people’s abilities.”

Here are some of the most advanced exoskeletons aiming to supercharge our lives in the near future.

Lockhead Martin HULC

Defense technology developer Lockheed Martin leads the efforts to develop a exoskeleton fit for the battlefield with its Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC).

Exoskeleton helps paralyzed walk

Thoughts move bionic arm

The world’s most advanced bionic leg

Amputee rock climber heals with bionics

The system aims to divert up to 200 lbs in weight through powered titanium legs while allowing the user to move freely.

Lockheed claims that a fully laden soldier will retain the ability to march at 3mph and even break into 10mph sprint “bursts” while wearing the battery-powered HULC.

The system is designed to reduce the stress on the leg and back muscles — a common cause of injury among soldiers — and comes with a Lift Assist Device attachment that allows a soldier to safely lift heavy loads with the strength of two or more men.

Read this: Are bionic superhumans on the horizon?

Cyberdyne HAL-5

HAL made news at the time of the Fukushima nuclear plant disaster in 2011, when Japanese firm Cyberdyne ventured its robot suits as the disaster-fighting protection of the future.

While a radiation-resistant model is yet to see action, HAL-5 Type-B has become the first personal exoskeleton robot to receive a global safety certificate.

Cyberdyne says that so far, 330 of the full-body exoskeletons have been leased to hospitals across Japan, where they assist patients with muscle weakness or disabilities due to stroke and spinal cord injuries.

The company boasts that it is the world’s first “cyborg-type robot” as the system interprets faint electrical signals in the skin around damaged muscles and moves the motorized joints in response.

Muscle Suit by Kobalab

Scientists from Tokyo University are gambling that they can beat the competition to launch a superstrong exoskeleton by shunning complex computer systems.

Kobayashi Labs’ Muscle Suit replaces electronic actuator motors with a system of inflatable pneumatic “artificial muscles” to help nurses or care workers carry elderly or ill patients.

Volunteers have been invited to try on the suit, which currently allows users to support 50kg with ease, carrying it with fixed arms, like a walking forklift truck.

Argo ReWalk

Argo’s ReWalk has already propelled former chiropractor Claire Lomas into the record books. Five years after a horseriding accident left Lomas paralyzed from the chest down, she became the first person to complete a marathon in a bionic exoskeleton at the London Marathon in May 2012, while using the ReWalk.

Already on the market for $65,000, the ReWalk enables people with spinal cord injuries to walk again and can now claim 220 trained users around the world.

Competitor Ekso Bionics has seen similar success — claiming to have powered one million steps with its 50lb wearable robot — and will launch a personal version in 2014.

Read: Exoskeleton allows paraplegics to walk

Nasa X-1

What if an exoskeleton inhibited a person’s movement as well and helped it? It doesn’t seem like such a useful idea on Earth — but up in the resistance-free environment of space, Nasa astronauts could benefit from a little hindrance.

The 25kg X-1 has been designed to allow astronauts to exercise without the Earth’s gravitational pull and could be critical for future missions into deep space, NASA says.

The device could improve the health of crew aboard the International Space Station — and potentially during future long-duration missions to far away asteroids or Mars.

The legs have the added benefit of assisting movement, with four motorized joints, if used here on Earth — but there are currently no details on when the legs might see a wider release.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/tech/innovation/exoskeleton-robot-suit/index.html?eref=edition

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The Monaco Grand Prix has been held in the picturesque Principality of Monte Carlo on the French Riviera since 1929 and the race remains the jewel in Formula One’s crown.

Monaco is a magnet for celebrities like Hollywood actor Will Smith and popstar Nicole Scherzinger — who is dating Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton. Smith and “Scherzy” are pictured with Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone in 2012.

The tiny city will welcome 200,000 fans over the grand prix weekend with many of them watching from yachts in the harbor.

The racing drivers – like Red Bull’s 2012 winner Mark Webber shown here – speed within inches of Monte Carlo’s famous landmarks.

Monaco’s street circuit is relatively unchanged since Formula One cars began racing there in 1950. Sir Stirling Moss says his victory in Monaco in 1961, shown here, was the best race of his career.

The late triple world champion Ayrton Senna won the Monaco race a record six times and says he entered a “trance-like” state while driving through the narrow streets

But for some sun-seekers in Monaco the cars are a distraction…

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(CNN) — “The last couple of weeks I’ve been at home have been murder with the traffic,” bemoans Monte Carlo resident Jenson Button.

Like most Formula One protagonists, the McLaren man loves the thrill of racing in the Monaco Grand Prix — it’s just that he is less keen on Monte Carlo’s traffic jams in the build-up to the race.

“It’s been a nightmare,” the English driver, who recently moved back to the principality from the British island of Guernsey, told CNN.

“Putting up the grandstands takes a long time so the city does change quite a bit.

“In the winter it’s pretty quiet. You see a lot of people that you know and I train with the same people. Monte Carlo is like a quiet, peaceful village really. There’s also a new Irish pub that I like — there’s a good pint of Guinness there!”

Read: Grit and glamor – the magic of Monaco

The magic of the Monaco Grand Prix

How does Jenson Button keep fit?

Who is the greatest F1 driver ever?

Button, Ferrari’s Felipe Massa and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton are just a handful of F1 racers who have mixed business with pleasure by calling Monaco their home. Mercedes driver Nico Rosberg, son of Finland’s 1982 world champion Keke Rosberg, can boast that he grew up there.

It makes sense for wealthy drivers to live in Monaco — after all, the independent state on the French Riviera has thrived on its reputation as a playground for the rich and famous since the late 1800s. Just as importantly its tax laws are favorable compared to its European neighbors.

But for one weekend in May the streets of Monte Carlo are not just for the well-heeled — they are for racing on.

The precipitous, winding roads have evolved into a thrilling street circuit ready to host this weekend’s grand prix.

The most famous race in Formula One — a fixture on the calendar since 1950 — brings a change of pace to Monaco’s Mediterranean idyll.

The metamorphosis, overseen by the Automobile Club de Monaco (ACM), takes two months to complete and calls on the expertise of 200 construction workers to build 1,100 tonnes of grandstands, 900 tonnes of pit garages and 21 miles of safety barriers.

Read: Legendary F1 partners to be reunited

The street circuit has one of the smallest capacities on F1′s calendar, with a total of 200,000 fans expected to watch the cars from the grandstands, hotel balconies and terraces — not forgetting the yachts moored in the harbor — over the weekend.

A crowd of 200,000 may sound small but when the pocketsize principality is less than two square kilometers — half the size of New York’s Central Park — that is quite a crowd to pack in.

“The place is a little quieter the rest of the year,” says Carol Olivié-Etiévant, deputy manager of the Hotel Hermitage, which overlooks the F1 circuit in the heart of Monte Carlo.

“During these four days people are living day and night. There are parties in the harbor, on every terrace, so as Monte Carlo is a tiny place, every place is crowded,” she told CNN.

“There are other busy weekends in Monaco such as the open tennis tournament, the boat show in September and the Red Cross Ball but for this weekend of the grand prix it is very unusual.

Size matters for Monaco’s businesses

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World’s most expensive property

“Thousands of people come for the day to Monaco, all the hotels are full, the restaurants are packed and we have many yachts in the harbor. This is most definitely the busiest one.

“For the month of May, Monaco is completely dedicated to Formula One. We have stands in the streets, paddocks in the harbor, and the configuration of the city is different because we close the roads. Monte Carlo is a completely different place.”

Read: Pirelli admit tire testing ‘inadequacies’

The locals, known as Monegasques, are prepared to put up with a month or two of disruption because the grand prix is very good for business — and, perhaps more importantly, for Monaco’s global brand.

“The grand prix is one of the things that helps distinguish Monaco from other Mediterranean destinations and gives it an additional layer of glamor which its rivals lack,” Christian Sylt of Formula One Money told CNN.

“The race keeps the principality in the public eye, which in turn attracts tourists and business conventions. The race itself directly brings around $120 million into the principality, with the bordering towns, such as Menton in France and Ventimiglia in Italy, taking a total of $12 million annually.”

Kissing the barriers

For businesses like Olivié-Etiévant’s five-star hotel, the allure of the grand prix adds extra cache for its clients all-year-round — and the race weekend enables it to raise its prices, with a four-day package starting at $10,400.

The Monaco GP — the brainchild of local Anthony Noghes and first run in 1929 — is also important to the global money-making juggernaut that is F1.

While other countries have spent millions and millions of dollars on new circuits in Abu Dhabi and Austin, Texas, for example, the Monaco race is so intrinsic to the image of F1 that race organizers the ACM have a special arrangement with the sport’s promoters.

“Monaco is the only race on the calendar that doesn’t pay a race hosting fee to the Formula One Group,” explained Sylt. “With some rival circuits paying more than $60 million, it’s a big saving.

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“Monaco’s history and glamor make it a very important part of the F1 calendar. The race is well-known around the world and is a magnet to the rich and famous. This is great publicity for F1 and also means that there are many potential sponsors and investors in attendance, making it a once-a-year opportunity for F1 and the teams.”

Mark Webber receives the winning trophy from Prince Albert II of Monaco after his superb victory from pole.

Red Bull driver Webber leads the way but behind him Romain Grosjean forces Michael Schumacher to go wide in an early clash.

Kamui Kobayashi of the Sauber team goes airborne in spectacular fashion at the Monaco Grand Prix.

F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone with Hollywood actor Will Smith and Lewis Hamilton’s girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger.

A view of the track from the harbor area of Monte Carlo which is part of the tight street circuit for the Monaco Grand Prix.

Webber takes a post-race dip as the Red Bull team celebrate a third consecutive Monaco triumph.

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Webber seals Monaco Grand Prix triumph

Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost were long-time rivals before they became teammates at McLaren.

Prost and Senna (No.1) clash at the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka in 1989. Prost clinched the title after the Brazilian was controversially disqualified after winning the race.

As they both battled for world titles at McLaren, Prost and Senna’s relationship came under great strain.

Stand off: Senna and Prost walk away after the early crash at Suzuka in the final race of the 1990 season which left the Brazilian as world champion.

Prost’s time with McLaren proved the most fruitful of his career as he captured three world titles.

Prost earned the nickname ‘The Professor’ for his thoughtful and studied approach to Formula One racing.

Prost competing in wet conditions at the Monaco Grand Prix which he won four times during his glittering career.

Prost and Senna formed a united team in 1988 as the latter won the championship for McLaren.

The medical team at Imola tend to the stricken Senna after his fateful crash in the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994.

Prost joined a pantheon of Formula One greats at Senna’s funeral in Sao Paulo in 1994.

In the latter part of career Prost had to battle with the youthful exuberance of future seven-time champion Michael Schumacher.

Prost is a keen cyclist and is pictured here at the end of the 2009 L’Etape du Tour. The race enables 8,500 amateur cyclists to attempt a mountain stage of the Tour de France each year. The 2009 event was staged between Montelimar and Mout Ventoux, with Prost finishing 258th.

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United in rivalry: Prost and Senna

“I wouldn’t say I’m happy in the Formula 1 paddock,” Mark Webber told CNN. “It’s an environment that’s not always real. You can click your fingers for food, for whatever you want really. But for me, I always try to ensure that I treat people as I’d treat myself.

Mark Webber led the way from pole on the way to his eventual victory at the Monaco Grand Prix — his first win of the season.

Webber takes a post-race dip as the Red Bull team celebrate another Monaco GP triumph in May. It was the second time in three years that Webber had won the sport’s prestigious race.

Red Bull’s Australian driver Mark Webber celebrates after winning the British Grand Prix at Silverstone — his second victory of the 2012 season. The Australian held off Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso in a close battle to win the race.

Webber is very much the understudy to double world champion Sebastian Vettel, who is seemingly on his way to a third consecutive world title.

Vettel has long been nurtured by Helmut Marko, titled a motorsport consultant at Red Bull but the eyes, ears and mouth piece of team owner Dietrich Mateschitz, and a figure Webber has not always seen eye to eye with.

Two days after his second win of the season at Silverstone in the British Grand Prix, Webber penned a new deal with Red Bull Racing, extending his contract with the team to the end of the 2013 season.

Before extending his Red Bull contract, Webber had talks with Ferrari over a possible switch to the Italian team. “Ferrari approached us first,” said the Australian. “Things happen for a reason and it feels I’m staying here for the right reason. We made the decision just before Silverstone when both teams seemed pretty interested. I’m happy with that decision.”

Webber’s first love was for motorbikes, and he used to race them as a youngster, before turning to go-karts when he was a teenager.

Webber switched to karting as a 14-year-old and the move paid instant dividends as he won his state championship in New South Wales. The Australian describes the medium as “very raw.”

Webber started off in Formula One as a test driver for the former Bennetton team in 2001 and got his big break in the form of a race seat with Minardi the following season.

Webber still looks fondly upon his time as a go-kart driver and recently took to the seat again as part of the Red Bull Kart Fight event in Japan.

Webber says: “Karting is the best way for you to get a feel of how to race each other, dealing with the competition, dealing with winning, dealing with losing and you soak it up so much at a young age and learn very fast.”

The forthcoming U.S. Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas will be the first F1 race to be held in the country since 2007.

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Mark Webber: From kart to cockpit

Although money and glamor grease the wheels at the Monaco GP, it does not necessarily follow that the event is a profitable enterprise for Prince Albert II’s sovereign city-state.

“The total budget for the race is around $35 million and the state provides a subsidy of $7 million towards this,” Sylt added. “However, the cost of preparing the circuit for the grand prix means that even without paying a hosting fee the race rarely makes a profit.”

With so much as stake at this weekend’s GP — including the small matter of the 2013 drivers’ championship — it also helps that the quality of racing around the streets of Monte Carlo remains undiminished.

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Apart from modifications to improve safety, the two-mile loop through the narrow, winding streets, past the majestic Casino, through the tunnel and along the harbor brimming with boats has presented the world’s fastest racers with the same rollercoaster challenge for the last 70 years.

It is the slowest and shortest race on F1′s calendar but for many drivers it is the most thrilling. Brazil’s late triple world champion Ayrton Senna — winner of a record six Monaco grands prix — said he entered a trance-like state when racing on the limit between Monte Carlo’s narrow barriers.

“Monaco is unlike any other racetrack in Formula One,” said Button, who triumphed there in 2009 on the way to winning the world title.

“A qualifying lap around here is an exhilarating experience for a driver; you turn into corners on the limit and you kiss every barrier at the exit. It’s a great challenge.”

For the month of May, Monaco hums with the rhythm of F1, and the drivers, fans and Monegasques alike anticipate the high-octane pleasures to come at this race.

“I was born in Monaco and in my life I’ve missed one grand prix,” recalled Olivié-Etiévant. “I was very sad when I missed it.

“We are very proud. Very. This is a legendary event and is really very important. It’s an atmosphere that you feel, an incredible excitement. As a Monegasque I also enjoy it very much.”

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/22/sport/motorsport/monaco-grand-prix-f1-button-motorsport/index.html?eref=edition

Tokyo (CNN) — “Women are Japan’s most underutilized resource.”

So said Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in April as he outlined a raft of measures aimed at closing the gender gap in the Japanese workforce.

As a Western journalist new to Japan, it is a shock that it takes an economic argument to move the government to act toward more female participation in the workforce. But it’s not just a foreign perspective. The noted economist Noriko Hama writes in the Japan Times this week, “You secure better working conditions for women because they have a rightful claim to such treatment. No other reasoning or justification is necessary to do something that is decent and just.”

Nevertheless, if you are a prime minister in urgent search of growth, the numbers behind so-called “womenomics” in Japan are compelling.

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‘If you were to close the employment gap between Japanese men, which is 80%, one of the highest in the OECD, with Japanese women — which is still around 60% — we estimate that you’d add about 8.2 million workers into the Japanese workforce,” says Kathy Matsui of Goldman Sachs, who has long championed the cause. That influx of female workers “could lift the asset level of Japanese GDP by as much as 14%,” she adds.

Now Prime Minister Abe is trying to force corporations to act. He has set targets of at least one female executive per company and offered tax incentives to companies that encourage mothers to return to work.

Despite equal employment opportunities enshrined into law in 1986, real equality within most domestic Japanese companies remains within the realm of fantasy-land.

Naoko Toyoda had worked for 10 years with an IT company but was demoted to a starting position when she came back after the birth of her first child. “Women who choose not to have a child would continue up the corporate ladder while those who did would be forced into semi-retirement,” she says.

She didn’t expect flexibility from the company’s side though. “Once one exception is allowed, other mothers would complain they weren’t treated in the same way,” she says. So she quit.

According to Goldman Sachs, some 70% of Japanese women choose to leave the workforce after they’ve had children. That’s more than twice the number in the U.S. or Germany.

But unlike the U.S. and Germany — where childcare is cited as the major factor for why women leave work — in Japan, uncompromising work environments, which demand face-time and offer little career mobility for women, persuade most mothers to give up corporate life.

A 2011 study by the Center for Work-Life Policy called “Off-Ramps and On-Ramps Japan: Keeping Talented Women on the Road to Success” found that three quarters of Japanese women want to rejoin the workforce after they’ve had children, but only 43% manage to get their careers back on track. Those who do return to work tend to take salary cuts and often find themselves, like Toyoda, marginalized within the company.

Cosmetics giant Shiseido does better than most. Since 1990 its childcare support program has been in continual evolution, providing employees with extensive leaves of parental absence, shorter working hours, childcare subsidies and on-site nursery facilities. It is also working on a gender equality action plan to boost its ratio of female leaders though it admits it will miss its slated target of 30% by end 2013.

Shigeto Ohtsuki, executive director of human resources at Shiseido, describes the management style in the past as “very slow moving.” Even though Shiseido is an example of corporate best practice in Japan, Ohtsuki admits there is still some way to go along the road towards true daibashitii, the Japanese word for diversity.

“The female leader ratio in Japan Shiseido Group, representing 25,000 employees is still 25.6% whereas female leader ratio overseas where we have 20,000 employees is almost 60%,” Ohtsuki says.

Yuki Honda joined Shiseido in 1989. She met her husband there and they have two children. She feels grateful to the company for continuing to support and promote her throughout. “I think I was fortunate with this company because they did not assume we women would quit after childbirth and they educated us so we’d continue to work,” she says.

Japan’s bleak demographic outlook is well known. The birth-rate is shrinking, the population is getting older and there are fewer workers’ to pay for the nation’s pensioners. The IMF forecasts Japan’s population will shrink by around 30% by 2055.

Abe’s push to make the workplace a more hospitable place for women — quite apart from the argument that it’s just more fair — is also a matter of economic survival.

Whether Japan’s male corporate bosses are listening remains to be seen.

Article source: http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/21/business/japan-women-economy-womenomics/index.html?eref=edition