Posts in Future Tech
Nissan's little robot car: Quick like a bee
Wayne Cunningham | Sep 30, 2008
Nissan's BR23C avoids obstacles like a bee.
With the admirable goal of cutting accident rates in half by 2015, Nissan released details of an accident-avoiding robot, the BR23C. This moniker somehow stands for Biomimetic Car Robot Drive. Nissan patterned the robot's behavior after bees, which apparently don't get in accidents. Bees, according to the press release, maintain an oval-shaped personal space, using their compound eyes, which can see 300 degrees around them.
The BR23C seems like a perfect companion to Honda's Asimo.
Nissan engineers describe the programming of the BR23C as instinctual, not requiring heavy processing power or maintaining a history of where the car has previously traveled. We're not sure if these engineers have ever seen a Roomba, but it sounds kind of similar. Also, with only a 6-foot detection range, we assume the BR23C isn't barreling along at 80 mph.
Nissan describes the avoidance technology used by this robot as just the final layer in a series of safety technologies. We've previously seen the company's lane departure prevention technology in the Infiniti EX35. That feature seems like the precursor to a raft of accident-avoidance technology.
Via CNET Crave
Photo credit: Nissan
Mitsubishi Evo XXVIII: A car for 2025
Wayne Cunningham | Sep 29, 2008
We're not sure if "Evo" will be in the model name, but Mitsubishi released photos and specifications for its rally car of the future--2025 to be exact. Today, Mitsubishi is calling this concept the MMR25. It's an electric car, because there's no gas in 2025, and uses four in-wheel motors, plus eight supplemental motors for each wheel.
The MMR25 has 4 wheels and 12 electric motors.
(Credit: Mitsubishi)
The details released don't make it clear how the eight extra motors work, but they apparently have something to do with the car being able to drive sideways, as the wheels can turn in any direction. According to the press release, these motors are powered by a Lithium battery pack that makes use of "composite nano fibers" to lighten its weight and achieve 1,000 miles per charge. We are definitely in the realm of sci-fi here.
The cabin of the MMR25 is windowless.
(Credit: Mitsubishi)
Oh, but it gets better. Notice the lack of a windshield in the pictures? Mitsubishi lightens the load further by doing away with glass, instead encapsulating the driver in a window-less capsule. Visual information comes to the driver through cameras and video screens, giving a 360-degree view around the MMR25.
Accessories will depend on what 2025 looks like--Zombie-infested: Flamethrowers; Waterworld: Pontoons; Idiocracy: Big Playskool-style buttons for stop and go.
Via CNET Crave
More interesting facts on Singapore F1 lighting
Philip Wong | Sep 26, 2008
We all know the Singapore F1 night race will be illuminated by thousands of lighting projectors suspended on aluminum trusses, but how about the behind-the-scene logistics for the setup? According to Allianz, the official global partner for Formula One, this is a breakdown of the key components.
These light projectors will be spaced 4m apart and 10m high across the entire circuit. The lighting will be four times brighter than a typical stadium with enough blanket coverage to eliminate any shadows cast from the vehicles on the track.
Via F1 Technical | Photo credit: Allianz
Underwater car makes Asia debut at Singapore Motorshow
Reuben Lee | Sep 26, 2008
CNET Asia was treated to a press preview of the Singapore Motorshow 2008 at the Suntec City Convention Centre yesterday. While the event showcased several new automobiles from major car manufacturers such as Honda and Subaru, what caught everyone's attention was the sQuba car from Swiss maker Rinspeed.
Touted as the "world's first real submersible car", the sQuba was apparently inspired by the James Bond movie The Spy Who Loved Me. According to a company representative at the Motorshow, the convertible sports car works just like any regular automobile on land. But once it hits the water, three engines powered by onboard Lithium-ion batteries convert the car into a submersible vehicle capable of going at 6km/h on water and 3km/h underwater up to a depth of 10m. However, unlike Bond's bubble-sealed Lotus Esprit submarine, the sQuba remains open-topped and won't leave your tux all dry and pressed when it gets to land again.
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LHC shut down until early spring
Michelle Meyer | Sep 26, 2008
(Credit: Maximilien Brice for CERN)
That's because officials announced Tuesday that the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), which could confirm the existence of a theoretical particle name after Higgs, will remain shut down until at least early spring.
The LHC, the world's largest particle collider, is located in a nearly 17-mile-long circular tunnel along the French-Swiss border about 330 feet underground. Built by the European Organization for Nuclear Research (or CERN), it promises to push forward theories of particle physics, such as the Higgs Boson, and the fundamental building blocks of all things.
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