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Souped Up Mods for a Souped Up Vehicle?
carambola5 asks: "Because we all know the world needs more inattentive drivers... I am a member of the champion UW-Madison FutureTruck team, which was the subject of this Slashdot report from June. Well, we're gearing up for next year and I'm on the sub-group that puts in all the cool interior stuff. Besides the Clarion joyride unit already in there, we're looking for other ideas (for example: a CF card that could act as both a key and remote access device for use in a handheld). What kind of little toys would you want in a car?"
a full-featured car I can fold up and carry away in my pocket -- or briefcase a la Jetsons -- so I won't have to worry about finding a place to park.
In mathematics, one does not understand things, one merely gets used to them.
--VonNeumann
I like that idea very much. A CF-card that contains a file, encrypted of course, that is read by the engine computer and enables a "start" button on the dash.
More high-tech than a key, and probably more secure too.
Hover Conversion
Subarban?!
These are college students?
Slashdot quality declines as the number of hot grits posts decreases. - Provolt's Law, Apr-09-2005
I want a device to track my car down when I cant remember where I parked it in a large parking complex. Possibly a gps location sent to mobile phone though that relies on owner carrying an accurate GPS and phone. In my ideal world it would be a small device which triggers an ultrasonic or other beacon. The device can then act like a compass and points towards the car.
I remember reading a few years back in a tech journal column about a guy who had installed a 'gravel cannon' in the trunk of his car. All it would do is spill out a little bit of gravel under driver control when someone was tailgating him. I've often thought such a feature would be a good thing, if done in such a way that it could seem like regular gravel off the road spraying upward. Just a rock or two. Voila. We'd all know who the obnoxious tailgaters were by their chipped windshield.
An alternative would be a brake fluid squirter. It would just spray out little droplets of brake fluid once in awhile. Hey, brake fluid is an ordinary hazard of the road (also, it dissolves paint on cars) and if tailgaiters end up having the shittiest paint job on the road, that's their problem. Various other ordinary automotive fluids could be dispersed as well. Key is for it to be something that's ordinarily in the car. Acetone wouldn't seem innocent enough.
on dash, have a lcd computer, with either a wireless keyboard, or jet-style buttons around frame with an easy to use interface, to do anything with the car you want, you could easily add features, like, preferable, stats from all the engine sensors, and the ability to tweak each one to get better results than the car's computer can offer. Im working on that for my car....each sensor will go through the main computer, and then to the car computer...from there i can modify the output to the car computer, effectivly tricking it into thinking whatever i want...that would be cool
Live Larger Drive Smaller
Nuf said
Don't write in this space.
OK
Create a Highway Area Network. Not only should individual vehicles be smart enough to drive themselves, they should communicate and cooperate with each other to get everyone where they need to go as safely as possible. Just as a train is linked by physical means, vehicles should link wirelessly to achieve the same end - bumper to bumper at 100 mph, but safely.
Exactly what human nature cannot do for itself.
Driving is a repetitive, monotonous task. That is exactly what computers are good at.
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If voting were effective, it would be illegal by now.
A water purification system with a peltier cooler and a hookup "down below" so I won't have to stop to get water, or to, err, get rid of it.
I could just drink the same stuff over and over again.
- Automated Distance Closure Braking System: Basically, if something's coming close at either sudden acceleration or high velocity, the braking system will automatically engage.
- CF Ignition: Not only could the car start up via CF card, but other features could be included. ie: Driving style data logged to the card for future use (mashing the gas pedal/seat position/etc); Remote access via PDA that would allow GPS locating or remote starting. Privacy concerns with this would require that only the last person who used the car could do this.
- Heads up display: Cool stuff. Nuff said.
That last one was suggested to me after I posted and hasn't really been brought up with the other guys yet. Anything else you'd like to see in this prototype? I mean, if we build it, there's an outside chance it'll be implemented in most cars in the future.IWARS.
People, in general, disappoint me. Politicians even more so.
No more "are we there yet?"
Driving is a repetitive, monotonous task.
BBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ Wrong.
Only if you drive on a boring freeway.
Try driving on the back roads
Better still take the windshild out of your car
You want a better driving experiance.... become a biker, dont fill your car with distracting toys.
Any computerised crap in a car such as automatic speed limiters etc just take responsability away from the driver and encourage them to fall asleep more. Driving properly is demanding. Not monotonous
No I'm not trolling... but if you want a better driving experiance then take the windshield out of your car (or become a biker) that will keep you more occupied than any distracting toys.
Devices such as automatic braking systems will encorage drivers to pay even less attention to waht they are doing.
If memory serves, when BMW poped TV sets into the dash of some of there high end cars they would only turn on when the parking brake was engaged...
Anyone quoted by a reporter knows how little they understand
Don't believe what you read is the truth.
I'm getting fed-up with people who don't bother to use their direction indicators - it really isn't any effort. But for people who can't be bothered, an automatic direction indicator would be handy.
A few years ago, I also had an idea to stop those motorway 'standing waves' of traffic - you know the inexplicable stoppages on highways caused by people driving too close to each other. The idea was to add a *variable* time delay to the brake lights, so that they continue to be lit for a *speed related* amount of time after the driver has lifted their foot off the brakes- higher speed, longer delay. This would have the effect of spacing-out the traffic a bit. I know that fixed delays have been tried, but these would cause, rather than prevent the stoppages. Anyone doing this? - Or have I just blown away the possibility of riches beyond my wildest dreams?
Much of the ware on the power train comes during and because of startup. I would like the car to start pumping oil and coolant before the engine is started. I would also like a forced warmup.
You would press start and the oil pump would start as well as other subsystems. When the oil and coolant are moving and in place (as well as worm if you live in a cold climate and have oil and coolant heaters) then the engine would start. Once the engine was wormed up you would then be cleared to drive.
THIS COULD BE OVERRIDDEN for an emergency start button in the glove box.
This would increase the lifespan of the car's engine and could be extended to things like setting up the radio, mirrors, seat and other comfort and safety items as well.
While this is somewhat different than what you describe...
Most cars have a "heater door" in the intake airbox that is temperature-controlled. If the intake air temperature is below a certain point, the door opens up, recycling warmer air that has been heated by the engine rather than using cold intake air.
This allows the car to warm up MUCH more quickly. (At the expense of performanc - Cold air is denser than warm air, which means more air mass can be fit into the cylinders.)
As to oil flow - The engine is filled with oil, what more can you ask for as long as it's circulating while the engine is running? Oil filters and other parts of the oil system have check valves to prevent the engine parts from draining out their oil when the car is turned off. The system you propose is just a crutch for people who can't properly maintain their car. (i.e. change the oil filter, which contains the primary check valve, often enough)
Of course, the fact that this is an HEV system makes most of your comments relatively irrelevant.
retrorocket.o not found, launch anyway?
I didn't really learn to drive in adverse conditions until I got my '65 Lincoln Contiental. I got it as a daily driver, in the middle of an icy ohio winter. After driving her for years, I learned how to brake properly in slick conditions WITHOUT ABS, that I damn well better have my seatbelt on or the steering wheel was going thru my chest, and rear-wheel drive is fun and safer if you know how to handle it. I actually have some difficulty driving newer cars, such as my beater ('87 Buick), and the '95+ cars most of my friends drive.
The computerization and saftey systems are good for drivers that are used to them. There have been a few times when I would have preferred to speed up and slide a little to avoid a situation rather than braking, but because of traction control systems I couldn't.
The gist of this is that I'd like to see some means for a driver who would prefer not to have all the electronic crap to turn it off. Wether its a big red button or a tiny keyswitch buried in some hard to reach corner of the engine compartment. Make it clear that your new toys are there to supplement driver skills not substitute.
...but I'd settle for it dispensing soda.
--trb
I have always wanted a automated roof turrent with a flame thrower and a couple of 50cal machine guns. Add buttons to the steering wheel and a Blue Thunder style eyetracking system and we are all set. This would actually give the oppurtunity to eliminate distrations.
SD
âoeWho knew something as harmless as willful ignorance could end up having real consequences?â
Other than that, most of the things I'd like (driver adjustable suspension and engine tuning, clutch superchargers and distance-based cruise control come to mind) already exist, just not in anything I drive.
i was really bored at work so i did a quick workup in ps what is could be like here
I currently drive a toyota corolla 2001. This model incorprates a photo sensor that kicks on the night driving lights a little before dusk and off when it's a little after dawn and on when it's really dark and stormy. I never have to turn on my headlights. But what I hate is having to freaking adjust the dashboard illumination. Driving at dusk into the sun you need the dashboard lit a little brighter, but as it gets darker you dont need as much dashboard lighting.
:P Anyone for a screensave type option? That would really make the locals go ga ga.
I would also like the dashboard lighting to kick on full brightness when parked or when the doors open and interior lights come on.
Something else I have been thinking about is a technology I saw in pop sci magazine about the sunroofs with built in lcd for automatically shading. Well I think it would be neat to incorprate that into the windshield and side windows with adjustable darkness and adjustable blocking size. This also should shut off at dark.
I would also like to have the same tinting done for the rear window.
I wonder if they could get lcd to reflect like those mirror tints, that would be very nice for when the car is parked in the lot under the hot sun, shut off the car set the alarm and all windows go solid chrome! Muahhah! Even cooler, add user definable logos! Mine would be a dragon across all windows
DRACO-
Consider yourself blessed if you are sneezed on by a dragon and only get wet, it could have been a fireball.
Like in Airplane cockpits , the batmobile, or in space-sim video games, the MFD seems like it would be really useful, especially if there were buttons to control it on the steering wheel.
One display could show odo, tach and speedo by default, press a steering wheel button to switch to stereo info, or on-board navigation, or a HUD (like an earlier poster suggested), or vehichle diagnostic info (oil pressure, turbocharger controls, fluid levels, engine temp, etc.).
If you really want to make a "future car", make it run on Hydrogen or BioDiesel or something cool like that.
The instrument panel, trip computer, and dash illumination change intensity based on ambient light both inside and outside the vehicle. Very nice.