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Nissan Exhibits IEEE 1394-Compatible Car

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the no-usb2 dept.

Dirak writes "High-speed IEEE 1394 optical fiber networks have gone off-road with new Nissan's prototype vehicle demonstrated this year's at 11th World Congress on Intelligent Transport Systems. The prototype is equipped with 7 cameras on the body and a 12-inch LCD monitor in the front and another in the rear seat area. Thanks to the in-vehicle IEEE 1394 LAN, which is capable of high-speed communications at 400Mbps via optical cable, the front and the rear seat monitors can display various information simultaneously, for example. The application of optical fiber also means that the weight of the cables can be reduced to about one-half the weight of a conventional wiring harness."

10 of 221 comments (clear)

  1. Now becoming a reality for us all.... by XST1 · · Score: 2, Funny
    The car is fitted with one monitor in the front and another in the rear seat area. Depending on the chosen mode, the front seat monitor can display up to four images at one time from seven different cameras mounted at the front, side and rear of the vehicle, giving the driver all-round visibility including blind spots. Simultaneously, the rear seat monitor can show DVD images.

    Sounds like something between an Episode of Pimp My Ride and a James Bond's Aston Martin DB5.

  2. Ahhh onboard cameras by Indy+Media+Watch · · Score: 2, Funny

    This will make it so much easier to film those Getaway in Stockholm videos and other tidbits for "world's wackiest car chases".

    Of course the black-box type implications of potential onboard video recording capability can't be underestimated either. Thermal imaging will make driving through the fog slightly easier as well, though I think we'll have to consider the safety implications of geeks at high-speed tweaking onboard surveillance to watch the road rather than actually watching it...

    --

    Indy Media Watch-Proctologist of the Internet

  3. Usefulness by fembots · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can already see some uses of this technology.

    1. Sensor which alerts owners that their car tyre has been chalked (parking tickets).

    2. Sensor to trigger water spray to remove any chalk marks

    3. Monitor to checks all four wheels, when you feel/hear something weird, but don't want to stop your car.

    4. Monitor to checks if your skirts is trapped between the door and slapping on the tarmac going 100mph.

    5. Monitor to show your windscreen wiper spray tank level, so you know when to refill.

    --
    Rock that crushes, Paper & Scissors that don't matter.
  4. 400 Mbps by Planky · · Score: 4, Funny
    The multimedia capabilities are made possible by the adoption of a high-speed 1394 optical fiber network communications system which allows a data transmission rate of 400 Mbps (mega- bites per second).
    Thats some super speedy eating :D
  5. GTA by Thomas+Henden · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now, if you can get some more of these cars and play networked GTA with your friends...

  6. 4 images? been there, done that... by Karma+Sucks · · Score: 2, Funny

    Knight Rider, anybody?

    --
    (Please browse at -1 to read this comment.)
  7. $2 says... by Indy+Media+Watch · · Score: 3, Funny

    ...You will get moderated down instead.

    --

    Indy Media Watch-Proctologist of the Internet

  8. Isn't... by Bug-Y2K · · Score: 3, Funny

    FireWire a BUS, not a car?

    sorry, couldn't resist.

  9. Digital Cars... It's more than just cable weight. by anon+mouse-cow-aard · · Score: 5, Funny
    Digital cars will be a great thing. It's not just flying car stuff, but basic, useful improvements every geek would love:
    • Those big protrusions out the side of the car... you know, mirrors? Replace them with a pinhole sized camera in the high mounted brake light. Not only does it shave weight, but look at the air flow advantages.
    • Put all the LED's in some central part of the car and just pipe the light out to the headlights and tail lights. Switch the signals centrally, so you can use less bulbs (light all three brake lights with a single (plus backup) LED, a single signal light, etc...) The mounting for the lights in the back is then much lighter, and there is no need to route copper power wires back there. Reduced, power, reduced components, reduced weight.
    • Like the minivan rear-view cameras, improved visibility, no blind spots, given enough cameras.
    • Use infrared cameras to improve night vision (assuming HUD display instead of LCD in dash.)
    • The cameras are a prerequisite for the self-driving cars in the future (sensors for the computers)
    • All digital dashboard (series of LCD's for the whole instrument panel.) Then you can have three camera views while backing up. and see the speedometer when going forward. This will also make it cheaper to have "sport gauges" and can have dozens of other sensors that just don't fit into a normal dash, but only show up on the displays when they have something important to share. (oil pressure, oil volume, oil temperature, oil viscosity, tire pressure, tire temperature, brake fluid level, coolant level, coolant pressure) All of that could be made much more cheaply.
    • Instead of just "check engine" ... how about a dashboard that says: "um, excuse me, this is your engine, I'm running OK, but cylinder 4 has poor ignition, probably needs a new spark plug lead." or "Hi, you've cracked a cylinder head, kiss your wallet goodbye."
  10. Clippy's Revenge by Grey+Tomorrow · · Score: 2, Funny

    Instead of just "check engine" ... how about a dashboard that says: "um, excuse me, this is your engine, I'm running OK, but cylinder 4 has poor ignition, probably needs a new spark plug lead." or "Hi, you've cracked a cylinder head, kiss your wallet goodbye."

    I see you're are trying to drive your car. Would you like me to take over for you?