Jalopnik: future technology

AUO Oval LCD Screens For Vehicle Instrument Panels

Travis Hudson — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 14:40:00 EDT

A company by the name of AUO has managed to develop an oval-shaped LCD display, which could change the appearance of next-generation instrument panels. The ovoid LCDs don't just look good, but they could allow for customizing instrumented data. Of course, the technology is far from being integrated into your next vehicle purchase, but it's good to see the baby steps being taken. [Ubergizmo]

Toyota Night Vision System Recognizes Pedestrians

Travis Hudson — Fri, 30 May 2008 15:20:00 EDT

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]

Car Technology Predicts Crashes, Braces Itself

Travis Hudson — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:20:00 EDT

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?

Design constraints, like the need to lower the door window, mean car frames cannot be built with the beam already in place. Like airbags, once activated, the brace would need a trip to the workshop to be reset, but the team are working on making the brace retractable.

Hooray, safety! [New Scientist via Giz]

Virtual Crosswalk Walls Are Too Futuristic For Our Own Good

Travis Hudson — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:00:00 EDT

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?

It doesn't include information regarding that matter, so let's start making guesses. Maybe it would disable the car from moving any further, which is a simple, electrical solution. Then again, it is a plasma wall, which just screams complete car disintegration. [Yanko]

The Solution To Truck-Related Wind Drag: Box Fans!

Travis Hudson — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 12:00:00 EDT

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]

Ford Looking To Nanotechnology For Future Design

Travis Hudson — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 14:20:00 EDT

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.

We've seen nanotech help devise anti-fog glass and play a part in fuel-cell technology, but some of the German Ford designers have even gone as far as creating nano-particle spray-on coating for cylinder liners that reduce friction and more. [Autopia]

European PReVENT Looks To Make Uncrashable Car

Travis Hudson — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:40:00 EDT

A European company by the strange name of PReVENT is looking to do what we figure has to be an impossible task: create the uncrashable car. The company with a funny name is using their budget of nearly $80 million develop a wide variety of oddly-named technologies to assist drivers in potentially dangerous situations. A few of those strange tech names below the jump.

WILLWARN: a project using different wireless communications tools to warn other drivers about upcoming dangerous situations like wrecks, obstructions in the road, etc.

MAPS&ADAS: similar to WILLWARN, but uses satellite navigations to prepare for upcoming dangers and hazards like sharp bends in the road and more.

SASPENCE: a project that analyzes safe driving speeds and distances. This could essentially calibrate the perfect speed and distance from upcoming cars to compensate for sudden braking and more.

LATERALSAFE: a solution to the blind spot conundrum that is as old as Henry Ford himself.

APALACI and COMPOSE: two projects that address the surrounding vehicles while driving. The two technologies will actively track the speed and trajectory of the other vehicles and objects like pedestrians around you being able to react to sudden movements.

For some odd reason this reminds me a little of Nascar's "Car of Tomorrow" but with a lot cooler technologies. Also, I hate it because it reminded me for even a moment of the motorsports shame that is Nascar, but whatever, currently the technologies being implemented by PReVENT are being tested in a Volvo FH12, BMW 545i, Fiat Stilo, Alfa Romeo 156 and Mercedes E350. [Science Daily]