Volkswagen steers into Singapore with auto-parking SUV

One of the bugbears for greenhorns taking their driving test is the grind of parking. Fail this, and you can kiss your licence goodbye. That is, until the next test. As a bit of self-congratulatory patting, yours truly, by a miracle, managed to ace parking on the first attempt.

Well, the bad news is, you still have to pass your parking to score a driving licence. The good news is, once you do, you may never have to worry about parking again. Short of getting your own chauffeur, Volkswagen is bringing its Tiguan to Singapore roads, joining the rarified car marques here like Toyota Estima Aeras in offering an intelligent parking system. The Tiguan will also roll into Taiwan and Indonesia soon, besides being already available in New Zealand, Australia and Korea.

Volkswagen's 2-liter SUV will launch in early September in the Republic with its nifty auto-parking feature. But like the Toyota, this is extended as an option. So if you desire this functionality, do factor in an additional S$11,800 to the car's S$105,000 sticker (with COE, for 150bhp turbo engine; S$125,000 for the 200bhp version). The price of the option bundles the Park Assist with a rear view camera, Bluetooth package and DVD player with SD card slot and 30GB harddisk with a touchscreen navigation system.
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Summon Batman using USB

Angry with your evil boss for giving you too much work? Maybe he needs a visit from the Dark Knight. To do that, you'll need your own Batman summoning lamp and the best way to get one is to make it yourself.

User KaptinScarlet on Instructables has a very detailed guide on how you can whip up your own Batman spotlight using a few common craft items and a cheap USB laptop light. The end result is pretty impressive and according to the creator of the guide, it takes only about two hours to finish this project. The only really tough part we foresee is having to solder some USB wires. If you don't have the necessary skills, it shouldn't be too hard to find a friend who can.

Here's an image of the effect:

Instructables (Via OhGizmo!)

This toothbrush ditches the bristles

In the evolution of the toothbrush, will the standard bristle model end up being the Australopithecus afarensis of the tooth-cleaning species? With a new concept device that replaces bristles with sponges, Fabio Dabori seems to suggest that today's brushes could one day go the way of that early human ancestor.

The Brazilian industrial designer says his patent-pending Giro Sponge can carry water, massage gums, and polish teeth at the same time. It's especially suited to babies, the elderly, denture wearers, and people with gum disease, he says, and can even be used for pets.

He's made two models of the electric toothbrush: One for adults and one for children. The latter comes with cute little animal-embossed sponges--monkey (pictured), pig, koala, dog, and lion--to liven up the brushing experience (or possibly make it more frightening, if you're a pet).

Dabori says he hopes to get his Giro Sponge to market soon. Once he does, we bet kids will get a kick out of it, but we'll be curious to see if dentists feel the same.

Via Crave CNET | Picture credit: Fabio Dabori

F1 night race to light up with 1,500 Philips projectors

Night will turn into day for the first-ever Formula One night race in Singapore. When the Grand Prix gets into gear on September 28, the Marina Bay Street Circuit will be outfitted with close to 1,500 lighting projectors designed to illuminate the 5.067km tracks with four times the brightness of a football stadium at night.

Dutch company Philips's dedicated reflector, developed by Valerio Maioli engineers, was designed to avoid glare by projecting the light beams at different angles rather than vertically. This effectively ensures that the drivers, speeding at up to 300kmh, won't be distracted by glare in wet weather conditions or, touch wood, if the car spins. The lights at 3,000 lux are so bright, they achieve near-daylight conditions at night. Just to compare, a football stadium sports 800 lux, while street lighting is about 30 lux.

Singaporeans driving along the Marina Bay area would have noticed the pylons and lighting system being set up in place since May. The full contingent of 1,500 light projectors will be ready by August 31. As this is a street circuit, the lighting system is temporary and lines just one side of the track, at 10m above ground level and 4m apart.

Electronic flags to debut in F1 night race

If driving while talking on the mobile phone is dangerous, how much more deadly would it be if F1 racers get distracted while race officials are trying to communicate with them via headsets? Thankfully, colored flags are the de facto method in which vital information are relayed to the drivers without causing unnecessary disturbance. For example, a yellow flag means that there is danger ahead and overtaking is prohibited while a white flag indicates slow-moving vehicles (like the safety car or tow truck) on the track.

However, in the upcoming F1 night race in Singapore, traditional colored flags might be a little hard to see despite the nearly 1,500 lighting projectors illuminating the track. As such, 35 display panels using Digiflag (developed by lighting consultants Valerio Maioli SPA) technology will be set up to allow race officials to communicate with the drivers. Essentially a rectangle board of colored lights, this simple but effective device will help racers avoid dangers on the track without having to dial the driver's mobile number.

Via SingaporeGP

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