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Nissan Exhibits IEEE 1394-Compatible Car
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."
... somebody will get modded up for making an 'insightful' point about how impractical it is for whatever oversimplified reason.
"Derp de derp."
I mean, seriously, whats so special?
Optical in a car? So? We've had cables in a car for quite some time. We've had monitors in a car for quite some time. We've even had internet in a car for quite some time. Whats so special?
We've moved to communicating 1394 with light wires?? Hurray.
No offense, but why is this "stuff that matters"?? Or is it just "news for nerds"?
Sounds like something between an Episode of Pimp My Ride and a James Bond's Aston Martin DB5.
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
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.
I love the idea of multimedia in the car, but just one problem:
"The prototype is equipped with 7 cameras on the body and a 12-inch LCD monitor in the front"
Wouldn't this be more than a little bit distracting for the driver? I mean, what's more interesting, watching the red light change green or watching neo take the red pill?
Now, if you can get some more of these cars and play networked GTA with your friends...
Wow, they're bragging up the reduction of weight of a wiring harness in a car. That's just awesome. Holy crap don't want to go over GVWR in the Nissan with a copper cabling system. Pardon me while I go shopping for light weight optical camping gear as not to kill my gas milage.
The last time I checked optical cabling like niether virbration or dirt. So is this really a great application? BTW 1394... WHY? it makes some sense but seems slightly random as well.
What could possibly go wrong?
IEEE1394.b was supposedly capable of scaling to 3200mbps via optical connections, but I've not yet seen any such equipment (or even the 1600mbps variant) - anyone know what the poop is on >800mbps FW?
Knight Rider, anybody?
(Please browse at -1 to read this comment.)
...You will get moderated down instead.
Indy Media Watch-Proctologist of the Internet
Before we get too excited about weight reductions, increased technology or bragging rights, let's remember something.
Air-conditioning, power-steering and even ABS still aren't standard despite costing next to nothing at build time and being about as essential as you could get.
Manufacturers need to cripple cheaper cars to somehow justify the extra $100k plus you can spend on higher-end models. Otherwise people start saying why does this car cost twice as much when it isn't twice the car?
I suspect it will be a long time before we see this sort of thing in wide use.
Indy Media Watch-Proctologist of the Internet
This could be that lean mean war driving machine that I have been looking for! Not that I can afford a new car, or a slightly used car, or a moderatly beaten car (I am in the market for a severly beaten near the point of death car).
Hell, who am I kidding, most of my vehicles have more electronic stuff in the stereo then they do in teh rest of the car.
Like arts? Like cheesy little Indie mags? Check out www.artwerkmag.com, and don't laugh at the bad coding please.
FirewWire is trademarked by Apple.
Were that I say, pancakes?
FirewWire is trademarked by Apple.
r eTA.html
And Apple licensed it to the 1394 Trade Association in May 2002:
http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2002/may/29firewi
- proton
FireWire a BUS, not a car?
sorry, couldn't resist.
Just a reminder, if you depend on physical security and have 1394 ports powered, any 1394 device can read your system's memory through DMA.
Turn them off in the BIOS if this is an issue for you (the linked article suggest globs of epoxy...).
Coming soon to a sensationalist news story near you.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
When it comes to operational and safety components, I want things on their own subsystems. That means one set of wires for the brake lights, one set of wires for antilock brake control, one set of wires for the fuel tank level indicator, etc. etc.
If something gets in the wiring, I'd rather it knock out half my electrical than all of it. I'd also like key systems to be isolated from non-key systems. If my headlights develop a short and the wires overheat and melt, I don't want the wires leading to my starter motor to melt too.
Now, when it comes to entertainment, like radio, dvd player, etc., or comfort items, like climate control or the map lights, do whatever's cheapest to build, cheapest to repair, least likely to fail (bearing in mind that some wiring designs create single points of multiple failure).
Knowledge is how to play a game, intelligence is how to win, wisdom is knowing what game to play.
All this technology in the car and I still can't plug my laptop in and get the report as to why the check-engine light is on, and I still can't swap general parts with my other car. I assume there are marketing reasons for those issues, but isn't there some standards committee who could oppose the situation? Diagnostics software/hardware and interchangeable parts are some useful and well understood computer features, are they not?
As others have mentioned, saving weight anywhere possible is a Good Thing (tm) in a car. Ligher weight means a higher power to weight ratio, which means a faster car at the same horsepower (or better mileage, if you're into that sort of thing). Don't believe me? Take a look at the Porsche GT3 RS. They went so far in removing weight that the Porsche emblem on the hood is a sticker! Traditionally, it's a plastic or metal badge, but they went all out in removing as much weight as possible from the GT3 for the RS revision. BMW went so far with the M3 CSL that they replaced the floor of its trunk with cardboard. The floor pan in the C6 Corvette is made out of balsa wood sandwiched between thin layers of aluminum. Obviously these cars aren't really going for gas mileage, but the principles are the same. Besides, as we move more and more towards hybrid or all-electric vehicles, a 50 pound saving in wiring gear means that you have 50 more pounds available for batteries or other electricity storage mechanisms, thus adding extra range to the car because you're adding more power reserves without adding any more weight.
The biggest hurdle here is not whether or not they can do it, but whether or not it gains acceptance. For example, Porsche has started using the MOST bus in recent model years for their audio equipment (they use Becker equipment, listed on that page), and it's difficult to find compatible aftermarket equipment. Firewire has the benefit of several years on the market already in various applications, so it's a well-known technology by now.
read more
Twenty times as far
FireWire 400 delivers data over cables of up to 4.5 metres in length. Using professional-grade glass optical fibre, FireWire 800 can burst data across 100 metre cables.
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?
Nissan Motors has been for many years trying to bully and harass a small business owner by the name of Mr. Nissan, who registered nissan.com for his computer company, before Nissan Motors had ever considered having a web presence.. htm
Nissan Motors was stupid and slow, but they felt that by paying enough money to lawyers to harass this small business owner, they could intimidate him into handing over what did not belong to them, the nissan.com domain.
This is a well-known and unfortunate story, it's been featured on TechTV and other places, more info here:
http://www.ncchelp.org/The_Story/the_story
Even though my last car was a Nissan, I decided I won't be buying from them again after learning of their behavior.
I urge you to boycott Nissan, and to write to Nissan motors exlaining to them that you don't support corporate thuggishness.