Pikachu Cars, I Choose You!
Posted By Ben Goulding, 16 March, 2010 | permalink
Whoever had the idea of converting their car into everybody’s favorite Pokémon character, Pikachu, is simply a genius. The attention to detail on these cars are second to none. I’d love it if when you press the horn, it screams out “Pika Pika Pikachu!” What car wouldn’t get out of your way then?
Car That Runs on 10,000 Cups of Espresso
Posted By Ben Goulding, 11 March, 2010 | permalink
A BBC presenter will aim to travel 210 miles, from London to Manchester, in a car that is run by 10,000 espressos.
The car features a system converting the grounds into flammable gases which fuel the engine instead of petrol.
Jem Stansfield build the vehicle in an effort to encourage young people to think about how we can tap into energy from waste products and new sources.
Comments Off | Posted in: Sci/TechHe said: ”Everyone recognises that coffee can give a person a bit of a boost, but many probably had no idea it had enough energy locked away to power a car.
”It’s important for kids to understand that power is not something that is mystically there, simply at the flick of a switch or by pushing a pedal.
”With the energy challenge that is facing the world, the more we encourage children to think about alternative fuels, where energy is stored and how it can be released, the better.”
Woman Calls Cops On Herself For Drink Driving
Posted By Ben Goulding, 3 November, 2009 | permalink
Mary Strey is a very honest woman … or maybe just an extremely drunk one. She called police in Clark County, Wisconsin to let them know that she was driving whilst intoxicated.
1 Comment | Posted in: News“Somebody’s really drunk driving down Granton Road,” she told the 911 dispatcher.
The dispatcher asked if Strey was behind the drunk driver, to which she replied “No, I am them.”
The dispatcher asked, “Okay, so you’re calling to report you’re driving drunk?”
“Yes,” Strey said.
The dispatcher told Strey to pull her vehicle over, and she complied. She waited for a deputy to arrive with her hazard lights flashing. According to the police report, Strey failed field sobriety tests, and a preliminary breath test showed she had a blood alcohol content of .19, more than twice the legal limit to drive.
She’s due in court in December, facing charges of first offense operating under the influence.
Crazy Man Driving a Half Car
Posted By Ben Goulding, 2 November, 2009 | permalink
(Youtube Link)
This Serbian guy thought it would be a great idea to drive half a car, so guess what he did – he got half a car and drove it! Yeh, really!
Why? – Nobody knows.
Comments Off | Posted in: EntertainmentiPhone App Can Drive Your Car
Posted By Ben Goulding, 26 October, 2009 | permalink
German researchers have developed an iPhone application that allows motorists to drive a car using their mobile phone.
iDriver converts your iPhone into a real-life video game controller capable of steering and directing a vehicle, as well as controlling it’s acceleration and braking.
Take a look at it in action:
(Youtube Link)
Runaway Russian Bus With No Brakes Rams 19 Cars
Posted By Ben Goulding, 21 October, 2009 | permalink
(Youtube Link)
Take a look as this runaway bus in Perm, Russia, without brakes, hurtles through the city centre smashing into nineteen cars and leaving four people needing hospital treatment. Watch for the man with the briefcase on the crossing. Someone was definitely looking down on him that day.
1 Comment | Posted in: NewsThe Simple Concept by BMW
Posted By Ben Goulding, 13 October, 2009 | permalink
(Youtube Link)
Meet the Simple Concept by BMW – Simple is the acronym for sustainable and innovative mobility product for low energy consumption, a vehicle concept combining features and advantages of both motorcars and motorcycles.
The concept owes its protective passenger compartment to motorcars whereas the streamline shape, the two occupants seated one behind the other and the uniquely driving experience are naturally owed to motorcycles. Whilst researching ideas for futuristic urban mobility combined with the prerequisite of reduced consumption (less than 2l /100 km eqals more than 120mpg) and emission values (50g CO2 /100 km), the BMW Group spawned this concept vehicle featuring the extremely low weight of 450 kg and aerodynamic drag properties (0,18 drag coefficient), which of course also fulfilled all the BMW Group premium brand demands: sheer driving pleasure, innovative vehicle configuration, technology integration and a sense of comfort and spaciousness.
It’s a nice concept, but in the real world how viable is it? Would you drive one to your workplace? Without a paper bag on your head?
Comments Off | Posted in: Business | Sci/TechDrive-In Automobile Museum
Posted By Ben Goulding, 12 October, 2009 | permalink
This is the project winner of the international invitation competition for the construction of an Automobile Museum, held by the Jiangsu Head Investment Group and the government of Nanjing, China.
This is what Francesco Gatti, the chief architect of the winning team, 3GATTI, said about the design.
“A building to be dedicated to the automobile, where the automobile is also the vehicle to visit the space. You visit the first external ramp of the museum with your own private car, like a SAFARI, you park your car on the roof and visit by foot the internal ramp going down. The building could seem to appear as an urban car exhibitor, with its corners and angles filled with tempting shining exposed automobiles.”
Comments Off | Posted in: NewsThe architect describes the museum as a “movie sequence in which the principal actor is the car”, a building where two car-related panorama go hand in hand: on the one hand the architect’s conscious attention to motorway aestheticism and urban scale – the structures and materials remind one of a viaduct – and on the other, his transportation into the museum of the ergonomics of the interior of a car. The furbishing and details within the edifice are related to and on a scale with its specific functions and it is not difficult for the visitor to imagine that he is in a car on a highway, rather than in a museum.
Visualizing the Advances in Motor Vehicle Safety Over the Past 50 Years
Posted By Ben Goulding, 22 September, 2009 | permalink
(Youtube Link)
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety conducted a unique crash test to demonstrate the advances in motor vehicle safety over the last 50 years. In this test, a 2009 Chevrolet Malibu and a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air are both going 40 mph and the vehicles collide offset, driver side to driver side. This is the same crash configuration represented by the Institute’s 40 mph frontal offset barrier test, which is used to rate the frontal crash performance of new cars.
1 Comment | Posted in: Health | Sci/TechClever Fifth Wheel For Easy Parking
Posted By Ben Goulding, 11 August, 2009 | permalink
Ever wanted to park in a really tight space, but thought it wasn’t worth the hassle? Well this Egyptian man never has any hassle parking, no matter how small the space is.
He put a fifth wheel on his car, which can be raised or lowered depending on whether he is driving or parking. The wheel enables him to easily maneuver into the smallest of parking spaces. So simple, but genius! Check out the video.
(Youtube Link)
A Car For The Blind
Posted By Ben Goulding, 25 July, 2009 | permalink
One major drawback for the blind, is their inability to drive. Well, undergraduates at Virginia Tech have created a car that the blind can drive.
The students used the same technology that lets cars drive themselves, to allow the blind to drive. The vehicle uses a laser range finder, voice software and other sensory technology which worked flawlessly when blind drivers took the wheel.
A vibrating vest provides cues to follow when accelerating and decelerating. The vest vibrates in different places — the back, the belly and the shoulders — to convey different commands. When the entire vest vibrates, it means, “Slam on the brakes!”
This is a great step forward for the blind. Perhaps in the future, such technology could be used to benefit everyone. It could certainly help cut down alcohol-related traffic incidents. Blinding work guys!
Comments Off | Posted in: Health | Lifestyle | Sci/TechWorld’s Cheapest Car Is Launched
Posted By Ben Goulding, 19 July, 2009 | permalink
The world’s cheapest car is set to go on sale in India as the first customer receives the key to the vehicle, handed to him personally by the chairman of the car company.
Tata Nano. Image: Tata Motors
The Tata Nano, created by Tata Motors costs only 123,360 rupees ($2,531), with upgrades such as air conditioning and cup holders available for up to $3,536 more. The Nano is set to revolutionize the transport industry in India.
From the 203,000 people who pre-ordered the Nano, 100,000 of them were selected from a ballot to be the first to get their hands on the car.
With an engine of just 624 cubic centimeters, it is smaller than those found in motorcycles and has been compared to the European Smart Car and the Volkswagen Beetle.
The vehicle is set to come to the U.S. in two years…Just in time for us to be out of the recession?
Comments Off | Posted in: Business | News