Introducing, the car that reads your mind – and your heart and liver
Nissan has unveiled Nismo, a “smartwatch” (i.e. automated wristband) that displays the vitals of drivers (heartbeat, body temperature, social media performance) and their car (fuel efficiency). Future incarnations of this technology could include a car-watch combo that measures the driver’s sobriety before agreeing to start the engine. Nissan is also developing “mind-reading” capacities for Nismo.
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Source: Fast Company
Toyota in trouble
Toyota has issued a recall for almost 800,000 hybrid sedans and cross-overs, for the second time. Specific Toyota makes and models have continued experiencing suspension problems – despite an August 2012 recall and rerelease – due to improperly tightened nuts on the vehicles’ suspension arm. The company has notified National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and expects the recall to be completed by mid-February.
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Source: NBC News
This is scary stuff
Forget driverless cars. Twenty to 70 percent of your vehicle’s operations – the steering, the brakes, the gas gauge, the horns, lights and seatbelts – are already computer controlled and, therefore, vulnerable to hacking. That’s what computer security teams proved during a recent hacker event in Detroit. Using a laptop — and later a Bluetooth connection — the teams fully penetrated and manipulated a car’s control networks, demonstrating how accidents could be caused remotely.
Both Ford and Toyota have responded, saying their models are protected from unauthorized commands. But research from the University of Washington and University of California at San Diego indicates car hacking might be more possible than we’ve been led to believe.
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Source: Huffington Post
Los Angeles-based dev team made the app to settle your car insurance claim
RoadView, a “black box” app conceived at the recent
TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon, enables cars to capture momentary, real-time data including 60 second video documentation, time of day, weather, location, and even the driver’s breaking speed. The surveillance is triggered by internal changes (air bag deployment, for example) or voice command. Of course this will be useful in determining accident causes, but RoadView could also catch rare occurrences such as a meteor shower.
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Source: TechCrunch
This press release can keep your kids safe
Going back to school means more contact between kids and cars. Monday through Friday, students take bus rides, walks, bike trips, and car rides to get to school. In fact, research by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) found most accidents involving underage pedestrians happen when kids are traveling to school (7 am to 8 am) or from it (3 pm to 4pm). In response, they’ve issued a release on recommended practices to help keep these wee-walkers safe during throughout the school year.
Full Release Here
Source: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Image: dfirecop on Flickr, http://www.flickr.com/photos/28111950@N00/
