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Russian Startup Offers Wireless Remote Controller For Cars

Posted by Unknown on from the thought-it-was-a-video-game-officer dept.

DeviceGuru writes "A Russian startup called Virt2real has produced a small $120 Linux-based WiFi controller board for remote control and video observation applications, and has demonstrated its use in a remote controlled car. Inspired by Back to the Future and James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies, Virt2real's Bond Car demo (YouTube video) shows a Vauxhall (Opel) Vectra being remotely controlled by an iPad via WiFi. The iPad interface includes touchscreen-based steering wheel, brakes, and accelerator, which are mirrored in the car by a mechanical contraption that physically turns the steering wheel and pushes the brake and accelerator pedals. The company is now accepting orders for the first 1,000 of its Virt2real controller board, and is working on a Virt2real-based Bond Car it that will work with most cars."

6 of 65 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Drones, Anyone? by PPH · · Score: 2

    a full-size car...

    The Opel fan club would like a word with you.

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  2. Big R/C car by Animats · · Score: 4, Interesting

    They've built a big R/C car. All they did was put R/C servos on steering and throttle. (They don't show how they actuated the brakes.) Running this through WiFi and an iPad instead of just using a regular R/C transmitter adds lag.

    Their setup looks dangerously flaky. They have an R/C servo on the throttle, with nothing to force a closed throttle on failure.

    1. Re:Big R/C car by satuon · · Score: 2

      It's a proof-of-concept. It doesn't matter what they use for transmission really, and they could change it in the future if it's a real problem. They could also go the other direction - with 3G, this could have a very big range indeed, albeit not a very good bandwidth and latency.

  3. China Already Building R/C Cars by Jah-Wren+Ryel · · Score: 2

    At least one chinese automaker is already shipping cars with remote control driving as an option.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkx2ZN4j2vk

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    When information is power, privacy is freedom.
  4. Re:no engineering by thygate · · Score: 2

    not to mention it's a freaking Opel Vectra .. the least sexy car ever built .. If they want to build "bond car" accessories, why don't they build a kit that spits out an oil spill or nails to flatten pursuers' tires. The liability will probably be the same as for this joke.

  5. Eh what? by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 2

    I can think of several myth buster episodes in which they build a remote controlled car.

    This is REALLY nothing new.

    As for using a tablet, you can buy toy helicopters to control from your iphone at any toystore.

    Nothing about this is new or exciting. It is a slashvertisement and not a very good one.

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    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.