technology

"Consumers Desire More Automated Automobiles." That's the title of one page of a new study published by Cisco Systems as part of its Customer Experience Report, which focuses on the "automobile buying and driving experience." The study specifically targeted technology and its integration into the ...

Hawaii is taking a novel approach to reducing the average wait time in the state's DMV offices. All five O'ahu locations now feature live webcams showing exactly how many patrons are in line at any given time. Visitors can simply check the office's web site ahead of time to see if its clear to ...

The YouTube series Drive has been doing weekly videos on Koenigsegg, and in this latest they get into the Free Valve technology being developed by Swedish company Cargine AB and Koenigsegg. Free Valve uses a small, individual pneumatic actuator to open each valves and either air pressure or ...

Even workaday cars are so capable now that even most auto scribes don't truly find out about a car's limits until a professional driver shows them what they are. It's the same with a vehicle's suite of features and the technology inside – there's so much of it that most people will have no ...

According to Forbes, Google may be into driverless cars for more than the party tricks. As part of a three-part series on the tech giant's foray into the automotive sphere, writer Chunka Miu says Google's efforts could have a widespread impact on the nature of transportation worldwide. The ...

While Google and Audi explore the possibilities of autonomous vehicles, Toyota and its Lexus division are studying the intermediate step of vehicles equipped with a deep suite of technology that help drivers make the best decisions. Introduced at this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las ...

Having gone from the C5 Corvette to the bygone Lexus HS 250h to the BMW 7 Series, the heads-up display has entered the "Meh..." phase of technology. To return it to the avant-garde, makers of such displays are working on new and larger applications of the technology that can provide new types of ...

Well the good news (for Ford) is that MyFord Touch may not be the most hated automotive technology around the Consumer Reports water cooler anymore. After getting its hands on a Cadillac ATS and XTS to test out the new CUE infotainment system, CR had some pretty harsh words for the next-gen ...

With more manufacturers turning away from analog gauges in favor of LCD instrument panels, it was only a matter of time before an aftermarket company came up with a screen of its own. Enter the ID4Motion MotionGraphic Design Digital Cluster. Using car-specific hardware, the screen can tap into ...

Organizers for the Tokyo Motor Show have a problem on their hands. Ever since the financial crisis, the biannual auto show has been enduring a downturn. Though 2011's attendance of 842,600 visitors was an improvement of 37 percent over 2009, the overall trend is downward from 1.43 million ...

As motorsports fans, we tend to pour over every detail of the race car's evolution, but it's easy to forget other aspects of a race team that progress at approximately the same rate. That includes safety equipment. Nico Rosberg took some time off from of his Formula One driving duties at Mercedes ...

Do you love your car? Like, really love your car? How about your iPhone? According to Forbes, a group called New Media Metrics has a way to quantify just how much you adore your devices, and how that emotional connection determines your purchasing behavior. The metric is called Leveraging ...

Anyone can be an ordinary dummy, whereas being a good crash-test dummy takes work. A few things you probably didn't know: the official name for a crash-test dummy is "anthropomorphic test device" (ATD), General Motors "has a long history" designing ATDs, and the process is so specialized that ...

A group of engineering students at San Jose University have cooked up an ambitious senior project. Max Ratner, Henry Li and Andrew Parmar came up with the concept of applying an omnidirectional drive system to the motorcycle world during a brainstorming session a little over a year ago. ...

Looking to flag down a taxi in New York City? Well put down your hand and pick up your cell phone. The free Zabkab smartphone app not only allows users to see a map of cabs in their immediate vicinity, it also lets them digitally hail one. Better yet, it allows users to get a cab heading ...

We could have easily filed this under "Too Good to Be True" or "Snake Oil," but it sounds legit, and certainly has our attention. Researchers in The Netherlands' Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) have developed a self-healing vehicle coating, meaning that one day, you may not have to ...

Automotive News reports Nissan may turn to the company's social media followers to help plan future products. Erich Marx, director of interactive and social media marketing, thinks sites like Pintrest and Facebook could be used as specialized focus groups to help answer questions that the ...

Ford has been ahead of the curve when it comes to driver distraction – in both inviting potential sources of distraction into the car and then offering technological solutions to help keep drivers focused on the road. Ford's Sync and MyFord Touch systems are happy to make phone calls, play ...

Volvo CEO Stefan Jacoby has said his company's products are "too complicated for the consumer," according to Automotive News. Jacoby said 75 percent of Volvo customers don't know "all the possibilities they have with their car." He contrasted the automaker with Apple's intuitive products, which ...

Ford has officially opened the doors on the company's new facility in California. The Silicon Valley Lab in Palo Alto will serve as a hub for technology innovation where the manufacturer's engineers and designers can focus on independent projects designed to make vehicles safer and more ...