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a futuristic game of life and death
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a futuristic game of life and death
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Cush-Ride Suspension of Belief
Back when we lived Oakland work sometimes carried us over the Bay Bridge to Treasure Island to spray umber and ocher colored water about sets. Even though the island was only halfway across the bridge, getting there required paying the full bridge toll! While sitting in traffic the idea of a personal hovercraft was often entertained. The toll money saved could have then been spent on some goggles and foul weather gear, so that on rainy days we could make like the Gorton's Fisherman down Powell street on our way to the water. More »
news
Next Up, Skynet: Siemens Teaches Cars to Read!
Never let it be said that the Germans haven't done their part for literacy. Besides providing the world with the works of Goethe, Brecht and Werner von Braun, Deutschland also gave rise to industrial conglomerate Siemens, who've developed a system that reads speed limit signs and can adjust a vehicle's speed downward at the driver's discretion to stay within limits. The all-seeing eye cross checks the electrosensory stimulus it takes in with GPS data to ensure it's not wonky. We imagine this would be a highly-useful invention in a Gatso-riddled society. More »
retro
The Flight of Pegasus: The AVE Mizar
Allegedly obsessed with flying cars, it seems like our latest obsession happens to be with turbocharged Pinto motors. So what if an ex-Northrop engineer grafted the wings and ass end of a Cessna Skymaster to a Ford Pinto and had the prototype painted by a hot van artist? Not 1973 enough for you yet? What if we told you that Southern California Ford megadealer Galpin was involved as the distributor? And that the project was on track until the wing assembly somehow came apart and sent inventor Henry Smolinski and pilot Harold Blake to their deaths. The Mizar, scheduled to go into production in 1974, never flew again. Needless to say, the incident was a major blow for detachable-wing flying-car technology. More »
news
Stanford Takes the Message to the Streets, DARPA-Style
One may recall Stanley, the robo-Touareg that won the 2nd DARPA Grand Challenge. Well, now the boffins in Paly are working a successor to the SUV, based on a Passat known as Junior. Junior's designed to navigate an urban environment, rather than a desert off-road course. DARPA plans to announce the location of the next race, to be held November 3rd, sometime in October. Meanwhile we're still waiting for information on the atomic-powered Saab 96 entry from Venture Industries. More »
retro
Transport Revolution! The Great Hoverchair of San Pedro!
Despite what y'all think, we at Jalopnik to do not spend our days tearing around in Torino Talladegas playing the Angry Samoans at high volume, outrunning the Los Angeles Police Department and California Highway Patrol, mowing down sidewalk fruit stands and supping on the finest lobster bisque at sunset on the beach with Jodie Kidd on one arm and Sabine Schmitz on the other as the sun drops behind Catalina. We haven't even illicitly airbrushed a Viking mural on the side of an Isuzu I-Mark in nigh on three months. No, mostly we just sit around and look for things to write about. Now and then, to clear our head and purchase a refreshment and/or snack, we walk the half-block to the bodega. This afternoon, we stumbled upon it: The Great Hoverchair of San Pedro, a previously-thought-mythical device designed to ease Angelenos' commuting woes somewhere in the early 1990s. More »
news
PLATINUM und GOLD! Scientists Blind With Fuel-Cell Catalyst Stabilization Techonolgy
Given no time to make no apologies, mighty men of science have solved a problem in fuel-cell catalysts that made stop-and-go driving somewhat of a problem. While platinum is the most efficient medium for accelerating electrochemical reactions in a hydrogen power unit, it has the unfortunate tendency to dissolve during use. How'd they solve the problem? Boffins at U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory figured out that by adding gold clusters to the platinum, the disslution issue was resolved. Once we find a girlfriend, we're totally buying her a fuel cell for our anniversary. More »
futuristic
Robot Can't Bail: Asimo Doesn't Fall Down, Does a Little Dance, Makes a Little Love
Our techtastic siblings over at Gizmodo posted this video of the new, improved and non-faceplanting version of Honda's Asimo robot trying out for a spot on the LA Galaxy squad, auditioning for an O-Town backup-dancer position and proving that he really can climb stairs. No word on whether jogging helps him keep his those unsightly robo-love-handles at bay. Meanwhile, we're still holding out hope for the Asimo Type R. More »
retro
Because Overgrown Boys Still Love Drawing Can-Am Cars: Future Chaparral
The Canadian-American Challenge Cup. Just thinking about those halcyon days of death-defying hypermotorsport makes our bowels begin to rumble and our head a bit light. When men were men and racing cars that did more than go in a straight line were propelled by big block Chevy mills. And while Jim Hall's clandestinely-supported team never dominated the series like Porsche did, there's no question that the Texas racer was the most innovative of the bunch. Plus, those white cars just looked ridiculously cool. GM Design Director Ed Wellburn slipped the Winding Road kids some sketches done by his team of what a modern Chaparral might look like. After all, is one really ever too old to doodle Can-Am racers? More »
gadgets
DaimlerChrysler Tests WLAN Car-to-Car Communication System
Car-to-car communication has nothing to do with gesturing after a close call on the highway. Futurists foresee a time when cars will use systems of GPS and WiFi tech to let them communicate with each other, relaying information about road conditions and traffic anomalies to prevent smash-ups. DaimlerChrysler is testing such a system — dubbed Willwarn (Wireless Local Danger Warning), with which vehicles are able to "warn" of critical situations picked up by on-board sensors, such as fog, black ice or obstacles such as broken-down car. Such distant early warnings, theoretically, would allow a driver time to take evasive action. As DaimlerChrysler notes in a press release, the system could be enhanced by adding radio beacons at the roadside to give traffic control centers ground reports, as well as transmit information on traffic, construction and other route-related issues. No word on when such a system will be in place, but he who comes out first often sets the standard, a benefit DCX and its suppliers are likely gunning for. More »
news
NASA to Establish Moon Base, Moonage Planned by 2024
The National Aeronautics and Space administration announced plans today for a permanent base on the moon in the future. In order that the scientists and astronauts can haul building materials and gear about the surface NASA will employ moon rovers, most likely constructed of space-age polymers. At last our tax dollars will be put to good use for moon donuts, moon burnouts, moon drifting, and high banks crater carving maximum moonage. NASA eventually plans on a fleet of pressurized rovers in order folks can drive about sans bulky space suits. More »
commentary
A Wistful Thought
Besides Starions and Starlets, conversations amongst ourselves (read: Davey G. and Uncle Bumbeck) often lead to the sheer ridiculous awesomeness of 1950s and '60s technology, before it was Health-and-Safetey'd out of existence. We're huge fans of NACA (which gave us the coolest air scoop of all time) and early NASA. And we think, just maybe it's time for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to buiild a car. Not a Mars rover, but an honest-to-Uranus earthbound vehicle that can accomplish completely ridiculous things. More »
concept cars
50 More Years: Volkswagen Beetle 2054
What's life going to be like in 50 years? We're figuring on a Sino-centric version of "Blade Runner," with Replicants built by the People's Republic of Toyota. For transportation, however, let's turn to Venezuelan designer Carlos Agell, who dreams of electric VW Beetles. Agell mocked up what a Volkswagen Beetle from 2054 might look like, complete with liquid-metal body for shape shifting and laser gyrostabilization system for accident avoidance. No word on whether it'll be built domestically or outsourced to an off-colony to cut costs. More »
news
German MagLev Train Kills People
We've debated on posting on this, as it isn't strictly a car. In fact, it doesn't even roll. It's Germany's experimental-yet-open-to-the-public Transrapid magnetic-levitation train, and it was involved in a fatal accident on a test track in the northwestern part of Deutschland. Apparently a result of human error, the high-speed conveyance smacked into a maintainence vehicle at around 120mph, sending passengers hurtling through the front panoramic window of the train and catching fire as it ground to a halt. 21 are confirmed dead. Du unsere G te... More »
retro
Know Future: Yesterday's Car of Tomorrow
We love predictions from the past that have failed to come true. The League of Nations, the demise of Apple Computer, the Thousand-Year Reich, the success of the Edsel, etc. It makes us want to grab our nose, point with right arm fully extended and exclaim in our finest Nelson Muntz voice, "HA-HA!" 2000-lb cars with air cushions, 100hp and theoretically-infinite wheelbases? In 1933, this was the the theoretic cutting edge, friends. Click over and ride a blade dulled with time. More »
news
'Plasma-Turbo' Is Certainly One of the Best Hyphenates Ever: Wacky, Futuristic Stuff From MIT
Remember back when everything used to be "atomic?" Then somehow "nuclear" became the preferred phrase? But it seems to us, something as important of the fission and/or fusion of the atom should be a simple, agreed-upon pronunciation, so figures as important as presidents don't look like assholes when talking about things that could be either a huge boon or a giant bust. Meanwhile, cats at MIT are working on all sorts of rad, future propulsion and energy options, including an ethanol-fired plasma-spun turbocharger. (Have the geeks in Mass been reading vintage Turbonique catalogs in their spare time?) "Plasma-turbo" totally sounds straight out of the Thundercats, btw. Didn't Panthro have one? More »
news
Drink! Don't Think! Drive! Kill! Or, Via Technology, Maybe Not
In an effort to combat the spread of inebrious motoring, a variety of technologies were discussed at a symposium sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving, which is now curiously headed by a man named Chuck. Since the Motherchucker joke is far too obvious, we'll move on to the bits and pieces. Drunkards can possibly look forward to games of Simon Says, subdural blood alcohol concentration sensing through a steering wheel and/or anklets and of course, breathalyzer-based ignition interlocks. We're so torn on this one. On the one hand, if you're soused, don't motate. On the other hand, the Big Brother implications of the technology really freak us out. Nevertheless, if it'd been implemented sooner, the lives of Mel Gibson's PRmy troops would be much easier. More »
news
