Technabob » car

Tesla Charges Up New Model X SUV with Impressive Performance, Falcon-Wing Doors

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:00:10 +0000

I’ll admit that generally I’m not a big fan of most green vehicles such as hybrids or EVs. I don’t have anything against the technology or saving the environment, I just think most of the green vehicles out there are butt-ugly. I will say that Tesla has a history of making some of the few nice-looking electric vehicles such as the Roadster and the Model S. The downside is those vehicles are both very expensive.

Tesla has unveiled a third model for its all-electric line of cars and it is dubbed the Model X. This new vehicle is actually an SUV that borrows much of the Model S’ drivetrain with tweaks to make it all-wheel-drive. As big as this SUV is, Tesla claims it will scoot from 0 to 60 mph in only 4.4 seconds – impressive for a sports car, let alone an SUV. Especially one that can seat seven.

Anyone that grew up in the 80s will see those gull wing doors on the Model X and immediately think about the DeLorean and Back to the Future. I happen to know for a fact, that the doors on one of those DeLorean’s are very far from friendly in a crowded parking lot. As a kid I watched a local man that owned a DeLorean standing at the grocery store waiting for the person parked next to him to move their car so he could get in his stainless steel ride and drive home. The “falcon-wing” doors on the Model X shouldn’t have that problem; Tesla says they actually need less space to open than conventional doors. They also arc high enough that an adult can stand underneath them.

Production versions of the vehicle won’t arrive until 2014 and when they do hit dealer lots, they should sell for $50,000-$70,000. I would expect the car to have a driving range on a single charge in the 200 to 300 mile range, much like the Tesla Roadster and Model S, though that might go lower when fully loaded with passengers and cargo.

To see the reveal of the Model X for yourself, jump to about 13:30 in the video below:

[via Engadget]

BMW Highly-Automated Car Barely Needs You

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:00:23 +0000

It never ceases to amaze me when I drive somewhere just how many idiot drivers I see reading, texting, and doing anything other than keeping their eyes on the road. The government is trying to combat distracted drivers but what they really need to be doing is combating idiots. There is no legislation that will make an idiot stop being an idiot behind the wheel. This is where sweet car tech like BMWs new prototype highly automated driving mode comes in.

I prefer to be in control of my own car, so I don’t want this kind of stuff to be mandatory, but I vote we come up with some sort of idiot test and should you actually be an idiot you’re would be forced to have a highly-automated motor vehicle. BMWs idea isn’t like the fully-autonomous Google cars that drive with no human interaction, though. With BMW’s system, at any point along the way, you can take control and drive normally, but the car can handle many driving situations all on its own.

Built into a modified BMW Series 5, highly-automated mode is more along the lines of a fancy cruise control system that has radar, sonar, ultrasound, and other sensors built that can recognize when another vehicle is ahead of you and pass the other vehicle safely. The car will also recognize speed limits and not exceed that speed. Check out the video above to see highly-automated mode in action.

At this point, BMW has no plans to commercialize this capability, but will use the learnings from their research to help develop other improvements for vehicle safety systems.

[via Yahoo News]

Scrubbing Wiper Blade Gets the Gunk off Your Windshield

Hazel Chua — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:00:48 +0000

It’s not the bird droppings and random, muddy-looking gunk on the windshield that’s annoying. What’s annoying is when you make the mistake of using your windshield wipers to clean it up–and all you get is one huge mess in the end.

So before you flick that switch to turn your windshield wipers on, make sure you’ve installed these Scrubbing Windshield Wiper Blades first. These patented wipers do more than just wipe; they also scrub, making sure all that gunk gets scrubbed away completely from your windshield.

What makes these wipers work better than the usual ones is because it has these dual blades that have been fitted with hundreds of tiny, triangular scrubbers. These scrubbers really give it to the dirt and get them off your windshield – and fast.

They’re available from Hammacher Schlemmer in various sizes, with the prices ranging from $16.95 to $22.95 (USD).

BASF and Philips Whip Up Clear OLED Light/Solar Panel for Cars

Shane McGlaun — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:00:33 +0000

I would love one day for solar panels to be efficient enough that they could power electric vehicles, and maybe save me some money on my house electric bill in the Texas summer heat with solar power. One problem is that the there’s not always a good place for solar panels on homes, and cars also lack surface area for panels too. BASF and Philips have a new and very cool product that combines an OLED light with a solar panel that is transparent.

The project is aimed at making a roof for a car that would allow the people inside to see out at during the day and capture solar energy as well. Then at night, the roof turns into a glowing OLED light. I think the windows of homes could someday use this technology too. They could capture solar power during the day to power the house and then turn into room lighting at night.

The OLED light is only 1.8mm thick and provides a uniform and soft glow across the entire surface. By combining this with an invisible solar panel, you get power and light in one device without blocking your view. Apparently, the technology is being developed for the sunroof of Daimler’s unusual Smart Forvision concept EV, shown below:

[via TG Daily and OLED-Info]

Car with Dual Power Windows: Now it’s Tinted, Now it’s Not

Lambert Varias — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:00:38 +0000

I don’t often post about automotive technology, hacks or mods because I don’t know a lot about cars, but this one is too neat to pass up: a car with two sets of front windows, a pair that’s transparent and another pair that’s tinted.

The mod was made by 20-year old gearhead Lech Sokolov on his second hand Lada 21. Unfortunately even if I was familiar with auto jargon I still wouldn’t be able to tell you how Sokolov pulled it off because he wrote his how-to in Russian, and I’m almost certain that Google Translate is as clueless about the language as I am.

What I think I got – remember, Google Translate may be making this all up – is that the mod cost about 5,000 rubles (~$159 USD), including the cost of the two extra window panes and the tinted film that he used to coat them. Sokolov also said that the major drawback of his mod is that he had to take out the amplifiers (speakers?) out of the doors to make room for the extra thingamajigs that he installed. Then again he ended up with a car that is not only more versatile – all the benefits of tinted windows without their drawbacks – but is significantly insulated against sound as well. Sokolov, you naughty boy.

[via Drive2 (RU) via Autoblog]

LEGO Fifth Element Taxi, Perfect for Those With No Points on their License

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 18:00:32 +0000

I really liked the flick The Fifth Element, and have seen the movie several times. One of the things I remember most about the movie was Bruce Willis driving that flying taxi like a mad man. Apparently, this dude named Jean-Phillippe Lajoie Dorval really likes the taxi too.

He took a bunch of LEGO and built himself a nice replica of the taxi that is very realistic and looks a whole lot like the one from the movie. You can see from the photos that the car has every detail that I can recall – from the license plate to the doors that are hinged to open from the top.

The only thing missing from the model are minifig versions of Korben Dallas and LeeLoo. What do you think of this model? Is it missing anything you can recall?

It never ceases to impress when geeks can build things so accurate with LEGO and their imagination.

[Flickr via Brothers Brick]

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]

Carcapsule: The Car in the Plastic Bubble

Conner Flynn — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 23:00:10 +0000

You know how geeks protect their action figures with those clear protective cases? The Carcapsule is like that, but for cars. It’s a plastic bubble that you put your classic car in to protect it from the ravages of time. Heck, if you put some confetti in there and attached a vacuum, you would have yourself a huge snow globe.

Silly as it looks, it’s a great idea to protect your investment. Restoring old cars is super expensive and just the weather alone can destroy certain parts with rust. And this bubble keeps it visible for you to admire, so that beats a tarp. It even has a built-in fan that will keep filtered air circulating.

They start at $269(USD) and go up to $419, depending on the size.

It’s also how the Bubble Boy gets around town.

[via Redferret]

Dual Lens Camera DVR Records Your Comings and Goings

Technabob — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:00:51 +0000

Cameras in vehicles have started to catch on in parts of the world as a way of documenting traffic accidents. While this particular camera is designed for just that purpose, I could see it being used to stitch together some other interesting video content as well.

Instead of just a single camera that captures traffic in front of you, this portable device has a pair of swiveling digital cameras which can capture images in front and behind you. Or to your left and to your right, or just about any other combination of angles. Each camera can rotate a full 180 degrees.

If you do chose to use it in your car, it has a handy “SOS” button, which automatically makes sure that video from 10 seconds before and after an accident will be saved to memory. A G-force sensor also does the same in the event that it detects a crash.

Video resolution is 720p (1280×720), and it captures H.264 video from each camera lens at up to 30fps. In adddition, it can grab 1600×1200 stills (appx. 2 megapixels). Also built into the camera is a 2.7-inch widescreen LCD, which lets you view one, two or both cameras at the same time.

One other nifty feature is a set of four infrared LEDs around each lens, so you can use it to capture in the dark too. It’s even got a mini-HDMI output so you can view content on a big screen too. At least they’re nice enough to include the mini-HDMI to HDMI adapter in the box.

Content is stored onto an SDHC card (not included), and can also be output to your computer via the USB port. The Dual Camera DVR also comes with a suction cup mount for use on your windshield or other smooth surface. While it’s designed to run using you car’s 12V cigarette charger, it has a built-in rechargeable battery. It also comes with a remote control, so you can activate recording remotely.

One thing to keep in mind if you are planning on using this thing for more artistic endeavors. One camera captures a 120 degree wide angle field, while the other captures a more telephoto image, as is shown in the video sample below:

If it wasn’t obvious enough from the watermarks on the images, the Dual Camera DVR is available from Brando, where it sells for $116 (USD).

LanZilla RC Casemod: Off-Road Computing

Lambert Varias — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 19:00:28 +0000

Having a moveable computer case won’t come in handy in daily use, but it would save you a lot of time and back pain when you do need to move or transport it. Which is why I envy Stephen Popa – not only does his PC case have wheels, it’s actually a remote controlled car, so he can have fun with it even when the PC is turned off.

Mounted on top of LanZilla is a custom case that houses, among other things, a Thermaltake Element Q mini ITX case, a Zotac H-67 ITX Wifi motherboard, a zotac 560TI graphics card, 8GB RAM and a 120 GB SSD. It also has a 9.6v rechargeable battery to power the car.

Check out the LanZilla zipping about on the video below. Its ability to withstand bumps and falls is quite impressive.

You can check out a second video of the LanZilla if you want. No pressure. Also Stephen, I’m pretty sure this isn’t the world’s first remote-controlled PC casemod. Doesn’t make it any less awesome though! Check out Stephen’s website for his other projects.

[via GizmoWatch]

Porsche 996 TV Entertainment Center, for Those Who Want a Third of a Porsche

Conner Flynn — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:00:37 +0000

Looks like Carlsen has done it again. He has crashed his Porsche into his living room wall. May as well use the thing as an entertainment center now. Well, at least this butt end of a 2005 Porsche 996 will hold a 42″ flat panel TV.

Let’s face it, wives and girlfriends won’t like this a bit, so you either get it and she goes, or this just goes in your man cave, which is really the best place for it.

You choose the color and this entire rear end of a Porsche is hand-built, with 100% original parts. Also available are other cars, like this 1959 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, which holds a 52″ Sony LCD. It’s neat and all, but it would be cool if you could get the front end too, and create a nice Portal effect in your home, but that’s just me.

[via Autoblog via Dvice]

Fully Functioning Batmobile Replica Lets You Ride Home In Style

Range — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 22:00:47 +0000

This officially-licensed 1966 Batmobile replica isn’t as destructive as the 21st century Batman’s Tumbler, but at least you can drive this one on the streets. Imagine riding this home for the holidays this year. You’ll be a smash, but only if you live some place warm because even if it has a flamethrower, you’ll get a bit cold and wet if you’re not careful enough.

This road-worthy Batmobile replica was built with a 3.5 Liter GM350 Crate engine and comes complete with a rocket exhaust flamethrower. It makes you wonder how that passed the DMV inspection. It also has roll-top dashboard doors, a flashing red beacon, a Bat Phone, an automatic Batbeam antenna grid and a glowing Detect-a-Scope radar screen, whatever those are.

The Batmobile’s 280hp engine will take you from 0-to-60 in 5 seconds, and to a top speed of 90mph (better hope the criminals can’t outrun you.) Oh yeah, and it gets 9 miles per gallon, so you’ll be heading to the Bat Gas Station frequently. You can get yours directly from Firebox for the low price of £120,000 (~$188,000 USD). Enough said!

[via Jay Mug]

Flash Rods Mercedes SLS AMG Hard Drive is Way Cheaper Than the Real Car

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:15:37 +0000

I think one of the coolest cars to ever roll out of a manufacturing plant anywhere is the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG. This car has power and loads of style to set it apart from the normal Mercedes cars. The gull wing doors are one of the things that does it for me about this car. This is the car the hot British girl in the last Transformers drove.

The Flash Rods Mercedes SLS is offered in red, black, and silver colors. Inside the cool model with the working doors and hood that opens is a small portable USB HDD. The HDD has 250 GB of storage and is a small 2.5-inch unit you can’t see.

The only way you can tell this isn’t just a cool model car is the USB port on the back of the car. That is where you plug the drive in for power and connectivity. The HDD will cost you $250 if you want one. While the SLS AMG is awesome for gearheads like me, I think many geeks would have rather had Doc Brown’s Delorean Flash Rod.

[via EverythingUSB]

Find My Car Smart Helps You Find Your Car, Stupid

Shane McGlaun — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 12:30:45 +0000

I used to get so mad at people I was with who would park their car and then forget where they parked. But I can understand it in some instances. I once lost my car at a NHRA national’s event. When I arrived at the venue, I thought I was a mile from the place and it couldn’t get any worse for parking. I was so wrong, by time I left there were literally a hundred acres of cars and I thought I’d never find my ride.

If you have the issue of losing your car a lot, hit Kickstarter and check out the new Find My Car Smart app and hardware combo. Together, they will tell you where you parked, how far you are away, and how long the car was there. While there are already apps which remind you where you parked, you don’t have to remember to activate this one. The dongle works its magic by detecting when you power down the car and automatically tells your iPhone to make a notation using its GPS sensor. The Smart dongle for your car communicates with your iPhone 4S using the new low-power Bluetooth 4.0 standard. According to its maker, this is the first app to use Bluetooth 4.0.

The app is on the iTunes App Store already, but the hardware part isn’t shipping quite yet. A pledge of $25 will get you the dongle and the app, while a pledge of $30 or more you get the app, dongle, and a car USB charger to keep it powered up, in case your car doesn’t already have a USB port. Find My Car Smart expects to start shipping the first of the devices in late January 2012.

Mitsubishi EMIRAI Dashboard: When Can I Have it in My Car?

Range — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 19:00:36 +0000

I’m pretty excited about the design of Mitsubishi’s futuristic EMIRAI dashboard concept. Although I have a few problems with the way that they designed the new steering wheel – for me a steering wheel needs to be an oval or a complete circle – the rest of the design looks pretty cool.

Mitsubishi’s goal for the EMIRAI was to offer an intuitive dashboard and user interface, which they hope to introduce in their vehicles within the next ten years. That’s a bold statement, but it does seem possible. Some newer cars have already started to introduce funky new high-tech dashboards.

Instead of having a flat LCD panel, Mitsubishi’s design uses a curved rear-projected display, with capacitive touch sensors. The steering wheel/joystick has got 18 buttons on two keypads, and a unique shape-shifting capability which can retract buttons which are not contextually relevant. It’s also packed with sensors, including personal health monitoring, and probably will be able to update your Facebook and Twitter timeline while you drive.

If that’s not enough, the passengers in the rear seat of the car get to watch glasses-free 3D high-def video while they go for a ride.

[via DigInfo.TV via designboom]

Rinspeed Dock + Go Makes Mini-Cars More Useful

Range — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:00:00 +0000

For a moment, I thought that this dock for your super mini-car would make it into a mini-pickup, but that’s not the case. Once attached, the resulting car looks kind of cool, albeit strange and wrong in so many ways.

The Dock+Go concept by Rinspeed was created by Frank Rinderknecht. It adds a third axle, which will allow you to store a lot more stuff in your sub-sub-compact car. Rinspeed suggests a variety of different configurations for the Dock + Go, including a heated box for food delivery, a segmented toolbox, a golf camping box, beach or party box. There’s also the option of adding a combustion engine in this extra space, or extra fuel cells, allowing you to go further and faster.

Rinspeed is demonstrating the Dock+Go on a tw0-seater Smart car, but the system is intended to work with any electric city-type car. The concept vehicle will be displayed at the Geneva motor show, from March 3rd to 13th, 2012.

[via designboom]

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]

Bridgestone Airless Tires Promise Never to Go Flat

Shane McGlaun — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 14:00:05 +0000

Bridgestone has been in the tire making business for a long time. The company already makes run-flat tires that can go for a short time with no air inside, but mostly it makes normal tires that use air inside to operate. The company is showing off a new concept tire at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show that doesn’t need to be filled with air.

Inside the new tire is a mesh-like network of thermoplastic resin spokes that keep the rubber treads on top rigid enough to keep from collapsing under the weight and speed of a vehicle. The concept tires are very small at only a 9-inch diameters so, Bridgestone is only testing the tires on a small one-seat car that elderly people in Japan favor.

There will be work put into seeing if the tires can be scaled up to work with normal cars. I wonder how comfortable these tires are, as the air inside rubber tire cushions the ride on a rough surface, and it’s hard to tell how much give these tires would have. The upside is even if the tires are rougher is that you will never need to patch a flat again.

[via CNET]

Papercraft Blade Runner Police Spinner Perfect for Retiring Paper Replicants

Technabob — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:00:58 +0000

I always loved the flying vehicles in Blade Runner. I think it’s the fact that they could drive on the ground like regular cars, but then do the VTOL think and take off and land on a dime. Probably the most iconic vehicle in the film is the police spinner, and while you still can’t have a real flying car, you can have one made out of paper.

Papercraft master Daumier Smith of Longtail’s Cafe previously built some awesome paper models of the V8 Interceptor from Mad Max, so it was only natural that he’d do another movie car as his next model.

The police spinner model is incredibly detailed, and even has a full cockpit and seating, as well as clear windows and roof, which are cut out of sheets of acetate.

The best thing about this thing is that you can make one for yourself. Sure, it’ll take some precision work with an X-Acto knife to cut out all the tiny components and then carefully glue them together, but when it’s done, it’ll look great.

You can grab a full set of PDFs of the spinner car paper model, along with construction diagrams, over at Longtail’s Cafe.

Nissan Pivo Concept Car Has Wing-like Doors; It Can’t Fly But It Can Park Itself

Hazel Chua — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 14:00:41 +0000

When I was still a kid, I imagined that cars of the future would eventually have such advanced features that would allow them to fly, park themselves, or transform into vehicles that could travel not only in land, but also in water. Nissan’s Pivo car concept hits just one of these three points, and while it’s still a concept for now, who knows? We might actually see a few of these on the road someday.

The Pivo was originally unveiled back in 2007, but it has gone through a major re-design and has been enhanced with a ton of cool features in this upgraded version. Nissan revealed the Pivo 3 electric car concept as a sneak preview of what’s to come at the Tokyo Motor Show.

The doors of the Pivo look pretty cool, and they kind of look like wings from the front view. It also features all-wheel steering, which lets it turn on a dime. But the thing that I find the coolest is the Automated Valet Parking (AVP) system, which will let the driver park itself without assistance from the driver.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

What do you think?

[via DigitalTrends via Dvice]