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Posts Tagged “
future technology
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gadgets
gadgets
Toyota Night Vision System Recognizes Pedestrians
Toyota's Crown Hybrid is getting one hell of a feature that will make the walkers of the world happy: night vision pedestrian recognition. Complex pattern recognition system cameras will recognize when pedestrians are walking alongside the road and put a nice yellow square around them on a camera view on the driver-side LCD instrument panel. The ideal driving speed for the system to work is between 10 and 40 mph, so the system is pretty useless hauling ass through a park Bruce-Willis-action-movie style. It only recognizes pedestrians, but Toyota is working on an advanced version that would be capable of recognizing bicycles and animals, as well. With gas prices going bonkers, the roads will be clogged with more and more pedestrians and bicyclists, so any extra precautions could be helpful for dealing with the gangs of hobos sure to be wandering our roads as the dollar weakens. [DVICE]
safety
Car Technology Predicts Crashes, Braces Itself
We never knew that European engineers were in the Miss Cleo business, but it seems so with a new safety technology being developed. This system is pretty simple to explain, really. Radar sensors mounted throughout the car watch for potential crashes. If it senses a crash, 230 milliseconds prior to impact it will deploy a brace-bar to help transfer the energy over a wider area and lessen the damage. On a side-impact test the bar was able to reduce the crash damage by 10 centimeters, which could equal one life. The one question does remain: why not always have the bar intact? More »
safety
Virtual Crosswalk Walls Are Too Futuristic For Our Own Good
Yes, we know, being a pedestrian or cyclist can be dangerous, but that won't stop us from driving however the hell we want, as long as this futuristic design never sees the light of day. This new conceptual idea for crosswalks is a bit too i, Robot for us. Rather than just having pretty painted lines—this crossing would also include a plasma laser barrier that makes cyclists and anyone doing an Abbey Road impression more visible and helps avoid those nasty vehicular manslaughter charges. We wonder what happens if a vehicle were to cross the barrier? More »
novelties
The Solution To Truck-Related Wind Drag: Box Fans!
Kambiz Salari, a researcher at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, has used a very simple method to solve a consequence of driving a truck. Salari has applied for a patent that will reduce the aerodynamic drag that accompanies driving a truck by essentially placing a box fan immediately behind the cab. The report shows that 65 percent of fuel burned while driving a truck at 70 mph on a highway is to compensate for the drag and using a fan-type device will reduce the aerodynamic drag and boost the mileage rating. Forget about the fan and improved mileage, we'd rather see a truck manufactured like the one documented in the patent. that's pretty damn stylish, to be honest. [New Scientist]
design
Ford Looking To Nanotechnology For Future Design
Rather than dumping millions upon millions of dollars into alternative energy engine design to compensate for the ridiculous high fuel prices and desire to be green, Ford is taking a different route: nanotechnology. Nanotechnology allows for the average vehicle to shed anywhere from 250 to 750 pounds of weight without compromising the structural integrity of the vehicle. Lightening the vehicles can significantly boost the mileage ratings, but that isn't the only area receiving some nanotech love. And as a side explanatory note, nanotechnology involves the manipulation of materials at a molecular or atomic level to change properties of the material. More »
news
