"You may get the bends if you go up or down too fast, " Pelli says.

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Since the manufacture of most products begins with the bending, shaping or machining of metal, the demand for equipment that bends, shapes and machines tells us a great deal about where economic development is headed.

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Some cars also now have adaptive headlights that improve night-time visibility by pivoting around bends, as well as instruments that warn of a potential collision or when a vehicle drifts out of a motorway lane.

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