Technabob » automotive

Japanese Car Seat Has Butt Recognition System

Conner Flynn — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 17:00:30 +0000

A new car seat developed by the Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology in Tokyo can automatically identify the person who is sitting on it. The seat uses a system of 360 pressure sensors that can remember what it feels like to be sat on by various people. So basically it is a butt recognition system.

Tests have yielded a 98% percent recognition success rate. The data gets sent back to a laptop where it is aggregated into a reading of your specific butt. Then it can be used as the “key” to keep others from using your car.

It might also alert you to the fact that you are gaining weight if it one day refuses to turn on the car. That will teach you to eat the entire bag of chips.

[via TechCrunch via Geekosysytem]

Car Compass: Helps Dudes Find Their Cars

Hazel Chua — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 13:00:43 +0000

So you park your car, go to the mall/watch a movie/eat at the restaurant, and have a generally good time. Then you go back to the parking lot and realize, with a sinking feeling, that you’ve forgotten where you’ve parked your ride.

You can either retrace your steps, walk around the entire parking lot or basement parking area until you find your car, or just randomly hit the unlock and lock button on your car key so you can be guided by the sound of your car being locked and unlocked as you inch closer.

Or you could just wait until AHHAPROJECT’S Car Compass concept becomes a reality. While there are already some apps on the market to help you find your car, the Car Compass is envisioned as a simple enhancement to your car’s key fob.

It works just like a regular compass, but instead of gauging what direction you’re headed, it will point you in the right direction towards your car. You can literally say goodbye to walking around aimlessly in the parking lot (or thinking that someone stole your car!) once you’ve got this thing in your hands.

[via Yanko Design]

KOBOT Transformable, Smartphone-Controlled Cars: More Than Meets the Eye

Conner Flynn — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 20:00:45 +0000

Japan-based Kowa Tmsuk is building some very cool toys. And by toys I mean awesome transforming E-cars. This electric vehicle concept is called KOBOT: half robot half mini-car.

This car can make itself smaller than it already is with the push of a button. That’s pretty convenient for parking in tight spaces. They can also be controlled by smartphones. Just push a button on your phone and it will fold up.

Three prototypes were built to showcase the concept at the Tokyo Motor Show 2011 and hot girls were found to toy around in them, because that’s what people expect at trade shows. The transforming act isn’t just about space constraints, it’s also about security. The seat folds up, the wheelbase contracts, and the panels are hidden. That way, one will make off with your mini-transformer when you are in the store buying a candy bar.

I really hope these things end up on the street someday. They look awesome and are super practical for congested cities.

[DigInfo.TV via TechCrunch]

115 Year Old Electric Car Matches the Mileage of a Chevy Volt

Conner Flynn — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:00:40 +0000

Sometimes when we think that technology is marching forward, it isn’t as a big of a deal as we thought and you find out that someone has had the technology for years already. Take the Chevy Volt for instance. These cars have a lot of cutting edge technology packed inside. Or so we thought. However, there’s one single 115-year-old car that can match it’s mileage.

The Chevy Volt will cost you $32,000 today, but the Roberts electric vehicle – built all the way back in 1896 – gets 40 miles to a charge, just like the Volt. It actually was built 12 years before Ford’s Model T, for that matter. The current owner of the vehicle says that it runs great, even competing in some classic car derbies and doing okay. No word on what he paid for this antique car, but it is one of a kind, built before mass production. It’s so unique that the steering mechanism is a tiller instead of a wheel.

Yes there really is an electric car this old. “The man” didn’t want you to know about it so that he could sell you his gas and oil, or so I hear. Sorry Chevy, you’ll have to up your game now.

[via The Daily Caller via Geek]

Mercedes-Benz iPhone Interface Plus Coming in 2012, Just as the Mayan Calendar Predicted

Conner Flynn — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 11:30:04 +0000

Car makers want the latest and greatest technology in their cars. That includes not just what’s under the hood, but what’s in the dashboard as well. That means making cars friendly for your phones, tablets and more. Mercedes-Benz has some interesting ideas about this one, like the concept they recently showed off at the Frankfurt Motor Show called “iPhone Interface Plus”.

It will work with a free app from the App Store and the idea is that an iPhone will be concealed in the glove compartment. It will be fully integrated into the vehicle electronics. That means that you can use hardware controls and the a larger display on the dashboard to control and view content in a not so distracting way while driving.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Judging by the way that people drive already, I’m not sure this is a great idea, but what’s one more idiot on the road right? Maybe this is how the world ends. In 2012, just as the Mayans predicted. We will all kill each other while updating Facebook. The app is however designed specifically for in-car use, giving you one-click interactions with social networks, email, and GPS services. You also get text-to-speech capabilities for email, Twitter, and Facebook.

[via 9to5 Mac]

Duro Flash LED Warning Lights: Flares Are So Analog

Lambert Varias — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 11:39:44 +0000

The Duro Flash LED warning lights provide 4 hours of light between charges. They’re made of cast aluminum and can withstand up to 20,000 lbs. If Dr. Sheldon Cooper ever learns how to drive, I’m pretty sure he’d have this in his car instead of flares.

This video puts the Dura in Dura Flash:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

And this one is the Flash part:

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Unlike flares, Dura Flash lights are reusable; their storage box doubles as a charger. Obviously they’ll work even on wet surfaces, and they’re not fire hazards. Unlike flares, however, Dura Flash lights are quite expensive: Southwest Pubic Safety is selling a pack of six for $180 (USD).

[via OhGizmo!]

The License Plate Frame That Could Save Lives

Technabob — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 02:00:30 +0000

How many times have you been driving down the road, when some dufus in front of you slams on their brakes to take an “important” phone call or yell at the kids? If only that guy would install one of these on his car.

The SuddenStop is a high-tech license plate frame with motion sensors built into it. It calculates the G-force of the vehicle it’s mounted on, and if your braking force measures more than 0.7Gs (normal braking produces around 0.3Gs,) it immediately flashes super-bright LEDs to alert the driver behind them. This extra warning could seriously reduce the likelihood of accidents, since it might give drivers just a little more advance warning that something is wrong in front of them.

The $29.99 purchase price seems like a worthwhile investment if you don’t want to be rear-ended, but it’s too bad they haven’t invented something you could put on the front of your own car to detect the deceleration rate of the car in front of you. That way, you’d be protected from not just the handful of cars with one of these, but from all the people who don’t bother to buy one.

Seriously, this is a good idea, and maybe auto manufacturers will think to license (no pun intended) the technology to incorporate into their own vehicles.

Pogoalert Keeps Speed Traps at Bay

Technabob — Mon, 05 Mar 2007 16:43:32 +0000

This wondrous little auto gadget uses GPS satellite tracking, radar and laser detection technologies to alert you to the presence of speed traps and traffic cameras.

The PogoAlert features a compact 1.8-inch LCD screen that mounts on your car’s dashboard or windshield, and lets you know when you’re approaching a speed trap or traffic camera. It also comes with live radar and laser detection to alert you to new spots that aren’t yet in the GPS database. Since it’s loaded with GPS data, it can also alert you to the current speed limit, and only alarm if you’ve exceeded that. Remember that radar and laser detectors aren’t legal in all localities, so check your local laws before thinking about one of these.

The PogoAlert currently offers map data for the UK and Europe only and runs

Download Tunes While You Pump Gas

Technabob — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 00:46:51 +0000

Gasoline pump manufacturer, Dresser Wayne, is showing off a new pump that features wireless Internet connectivity, including the ability to purchase and download music tracks while you pump fuel into your gas guzzler.

The Dresser Wayne Ovation