Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2009 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[I'm sorry, Dave - more autonomy in the name of safety?]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/28/im-sorry-dave-more-autonomy-in-the-name-of-safety/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/28/im-sorry-dave-more-autonomy-in-the-name-of-safety/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/03/28/im-sorry-dave-more-autonomy-in-the-name-of-safety/#commentsFiled under: , ,



"Open the pod bay doors, HAL."
"I'm sorry, Dave, I can't do that."

That type of belligerence might be coming to your car under the guise of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems. Many cars can already be had with the necessary hardware like GPS navigation systems that help a vehicle determine its position, and stability control that can already fire individual brakes to effect course corrections. Is the next step writing the software to interconnect those systems into an active safety net? This would effectively enable the car to steer you out of trouble if it compares your trajectory with the nav system and determines you're off-course.

Passive safety systems have seemingly hit a wall, and the mass that all that crash safety adds must be either offset through the use of more exotic and expensive materials, or the result is a stupendously heavy vehicle. The next step will be active safety, a baby-step that has already been made with stability control and active cruise control. Current maps in navigation systems aren't adequate for driver aids, as they're mainly bird's-eye-view positional representations. Once maps with more data become available, the possibility of your car bringing all its situational awareness equipment to bear so that it can execute lane changes and warn you about a blind hairpin curve coming up might not be such fantasy.

[Source: Automotive Design Line]

I'm sorry, Dave - more autonomy in the name of safety? originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 28 Mar 2008 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adaptive cruise cont...AdaptiveCruiseCont...automotive x-prizeautomotive-x-prizeautomotivex-prizeautonomousautonomous vehicleautonomous vehiclesAutonomousVehicleAutonomousVehicleshal 9000Hal9000mapmappingmultitaskmultitaskingmultitasking-helpersnavigationnavigation systemNavigationSystemsafe drivingSafeDrivingsafetystability controlStabilityControlFri, 28 Mar 2008 19:02:00 EST<![CDATA[Joy to the World: Honda F1 ditches globe livery]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/10/joy-to-the-world-honda-f1-ditches-globe-livery/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/10/joy-to-the-world-honda-f1-ditches-globe-livery/http://www.autoblog.com/2008/01/10/joy-to-the-world-honda-f1-ditches-globe-livery/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The Honda Racing F1 Team didn't win a lot of fans when it pulled the bold move of ditching its sponsors and painting the 2007 car like a globe. Thankfully, the Japanese team has revealed that it'll be ditching the map scheme for next season's car, the RA108.

The world map livery was instituted last year to promote Honda's environmental conscience, but came off as an ironic statement considering that it was painted on a gasoline-slurping F1 car. The only slogan on the car was the rear wing that pointed spectators to the team's tree-hugging website, myearthdream.com. But while the 2008 car won't carry the global map theme itself, the new livery will bear some sort of environmental slant to it. We'll have to wait for the it's unveiling on January 29 to see exactly what Honda has in store for us.

In related news, Honda F1 announced that it's hired veteran Austrian racer Alexander Wurz as its test driver. Wurz had announced his immediate retirement from F1 in the middle of last season, and cited the opportunity to work with Honda's new chief Ross Brawn as a principal motivating factor for his return.

[Sources: F1-Live and autosport]

Joy to the World: Honda F1 ditches globe livery originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 10 Jan 2008 19:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>f1globehondaliverymapmy earth dreamMyEarthDreamplanetracingThu, 10 Jan 2008 19:28:00 EST<![CDATA[Gas map shows shades of rising prices]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/24/gas-map-shows-shades-of-rising-prices/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/24/gas-map-shows-shades-of-rising-prices/http://www.autoblog.com/2006/04/24/gas-map-shows-shades-of-rising-prices/#commentsFiled under: ,

Found this map via a link at Digg.com that shows gas prices around the country by county. The map is color coded with the lowest prices glowing green in the states of Idaho, Wyoming, Utah and Montana. The color red indicates the counties in which the price of gas is on fire. California is not surprisingly burning up. Santa Barbara seems to have the highest cost per gallon of gasoline at $3.20/per, although reports have pegged a gallon or two above $4 in Hollywood.

[Source: GasBuddy via Digg]

Gas map shows shades of rising prices originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 Apr 2006 15:03:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>californiafuelgas pricesgasolineGasPricesmapmpgMon, 24 Apr 2006 15:03:00 EST