Posts in Cars

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Robot head assists with road navigation

Wayne Cunningham | Oct 30, 2009

MIT's concept robot head mounts on the dashboard to assist with navigation.(Credit: MIT)

AIDA's robot head can show warning signs. (Credit: MIT)

MIT intends to revolutionize GPS navigation by making it friendly and predictive, using a friendly robot helper to anticipate your needs. The Affective Intelligent Driving Agent (AIDA) is a robot head on an articulated neck, reminiscent of movie robots from the 1980s, that mounts in the center of the dashboard.

It incorporates an expressive "face" that can smile, look sad, show warning signs, and even wink at you. AIDA was developed as a collaboration between the Personal Robots Group at the MIT Media Lab, MIT's SENSEable City Lab, and Volkswagen Group of America's Electronics Research Lab.
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Get turn-by-turn directions with Google Maps Navigation

Tom Krazit | Oct 29, 2009

Don't try this on game day, but the new Google Maps Navigation application will show you how to take a spin past Boston's Fenway Park. (Credit: Google)

You can almost hear the portable navigation industry swearing already.

Google is announcing plans Wednesday to release a new Android application called Google Maps Navigation. When combined with a GPS-equipped mobile phone running Android 2.0, it provides turn-by-turn directions powered by Google Maps and a slick user interface that combines features such as voice recognition and Google Street View. Google Maps Navigation, like seemingly everything that emerges from Google, will be free.

"Mobile platforms--Android and others--are so powerful now that you can build client apps that can do magical things connected to the cloud," said Google CEO Eric Schmidt in a briefing for reporters at Google's headquarters on Tuesday.

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Apple Store now lists TomTom iPhone car kit

Antuan Goodwin | Oct 26, 2009

(Credit: TomTom)

TomTom's iPhone cradle for iPhone has quietly made its way into the Apple Store. So, if you're an iPhone user with an extra US$120 bucks burning a hole in your pocket for a navigation accessory (or US$220, if you don't already own TomTom's navigation app), pop over to the Apple Store for a look.

According to TomTom's representative, the Apple Store product page is for preorders and TomTom has not yet announced a specific date for the product's availability. If Apple's claim that the product ships in 2-3 weeks is true, we should be seeing it soon, rather than later.

We've already questioned the value of a US$120 phone cradle. The general consensus among our readers was that the price is a bit steep for an accessory, even with the inclusion of the uprated GPS receiver, 12 volt charger, and speakerphone.

Via CNET Reviews

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Toyota plugs in to electric cars biz

Wayne Cunningham | Oct 22, 2009

The Toyota FT-EVII is a new electric concept car based on the iQ platform. (Credit: Automotive News)

Toyota does away with a traditional steering wheel in favor of modern art. (Credit: Automotive News)

Although a leader in hybrid cars, generally conservative Toyota has seemed uninterested in developing electric cars--until now. At the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show, Toyota unveiled the FT-EVII, an electric car concept.

In putting together the FT-EVII, Toyota used its own off-the-shelf technologies, such as the iQ platform and components from its Synergy hybrid system. Although not on sale in the US, gasoline- and diesel-powered Toyota iQs are sold in Japan and the UK. For the power train, Toyota went to lithium ion batteries for the FT-EVII, as opposed to the nickel-metal-hydride power pack from its current hybrid vehicles.
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Tokyo Motor Show spotlights electric two-wheelers

Wayne Cunningham | Oct 22, 2009

Breaking away from traditional motorcycle design, Yamaha explores an electric-powered two wheel commuter bike using an x-shape frame. The purpose behind the EC-f is to design a motorcycle for people with no riding experience. (Credit: Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc.)

Just as carmakers develop electric cars, motorcycle manufacturers also see the writing on the wall, showing off a collection of electric bikes at the 2009 Tokyo Motor Show. The Tokyo Motor Show has always played host to a substantial display of motorcycles, and this year is no different--except that the highlights of the show all have a green angle. Honda, Yamaha, and Suzuki all brought concepts to the show that could spell the future of riding, and possibly a new way for future commuters to get to work.
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