Car Tech
Poover pooper scooter cleans up Islington
A local authority is employing a faeces rider to clean up the mean streets of North London. Islington Council has unleashed the Poover, a modified Honda 125cc scooter, to clean up dog mess.
First, the poover sprays the doggie doings with a jet of water to 'loosen' it. All the while, a smelliflous detergent sterilises and deodorises the area. A handheld suction nozzle then hoovers up the resulting muck mélange, storing 25 litres of canine crap on the back of the scooter. You wouldn't want to rear-end that council worker -- it'd be a miniature version of the manure scene in Back to the Future. Continue reading...
AutoExec WM-01 Wheelmate: Computing has never been more exciting
If driving while holding a mobile phone is an offence, and driving while using a hands-free kit is legal, it stands to reason that driving while using a mobile phone -- or any other electronic device -- is entirely within the law* as long as your hands are free to control the steering wheel.
If that's the case, and you can't bear to be apart from Facebook on those long road trips, cast an eye on the AutoExec WM-01 Wheelmate steering-wheel desk tray. This ingenious device attaches to your steering wheel and provides a strong surface on which users can mount a laptop, update important papers, or even eat their lunch. Continue reading...
Bosch Night Vision Plus: Pedestrians should be seen and not hurt
There aren't many things in this world as cool as night vision. Fonzie in his prime, maybe; or possibly flying around in a zero-gravity plane in the name of antivirus -- but neither of these things is up there with seeing like a bat. We'd all give the leftmost portion of our reproductive organs for that.
Bosch (the company behind the ESP 'anti-elk murdering system') is fully aware of this, which is why its scientists have been busy upgrading the night-vision system first spotted on the 2009 Mercedes-Benz E-Class. Like the existing Night Vision gadget, Night Vision Plus provides a high-contrast image of the road immediately ahead of the vehicle. This new system, however, now intelligently analyses the image to identify and highlight pedestrians on the screen. Continue reading...
Ford Focus RS road test: Green, mean, driving machine 
How many Essex girls does it take to install bi-xenon headlights on a 2009 Ford Focus RS? None, actually, because the fancy blue-tinged beams come as standard on the latest model, along with all the accoutrements you'd expect from a car designed to appeal to the 13-year-old in all of us.
Just look at the bodywork. It couldn't be any less subtle if it were decked out in a Burberry paint finish. Luckily, this isn't an option, but the remaining colour schemes aren't exactly demure. The basic Frozen White colour scheme is so bright it'll make other white motors look beige in comparison, while the top of the range Ultimate Green finish, which costs a whopping £725 extra, makes the car look radioactive -- but in a good way. Continue reading...
Driverless Audi TTS to attempt deadly US rally stage
Cars have been threatening to drive themselves for years now. We've seen the Toyota Prius demonstrating its autonomous parallel-parking skills, the Volvo XC60's driverless emergency braking feature, and soon -- if Volkswagen and Stanford University get their way -- we'll have an Audi TT that can complete a full rally stage without any fleshy humans at the helm.
The car, nicknamed Shelley, is in the early stages of its development, but it's already completed low-speed trial runs at Pikes Peak and etched the Audi rings logo into the Bonneville Salt Flats with a series of driverless powerslides. Continue reading...
Video: Jaguar XF Diesel S is a speech demon 
Most cars on this planet are controlled using a steering wheel and pedals -- these methods are too archaic for the new Jaguar XF Diesel S. Instead, this next-generation car takes its orders via voice command.
In this episode of the award-winning Car Tech, Rory demonstrates the car's uncanny ability to recognise multiple accents, by regaling us with his considerable voice-acting skills. He then takes a moment to show off its built-in TV, which has a reverse parking camera and augmented reality-style parking-assist feature. But is all of this enough to cover up for the fact that it is, ultimately, still a diesel? Watch video...
T.27: World's most efficient electric car?
Good news, nature-fondlers: Gordon Murray -- the designer responsible for such supercars as the McLaren F1 and Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, has teamed up with Zytek Automotive Design to help develop the T.27 -- the world's most fuel-efficient electric vehicle.
A total of four prototypes will be built before the project's February 2011 deadline. It would seem the T.27 is based on Murray's hideous petrol-powered T.25 (did this guy really design the McLaren F1?), so there's a good chance the T.27 could also end up being the world's ugliest vehicle -- electric or otherwise. Continue reading...
Ferrari World Abu Dhabi takes pole position as world's biggest and fastest theme park
On the day of the first Abu Dhubai Formula 1 Grand Prix, we take a look at the progress of Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the first-ever Ferrari theme park and the biggest indoor theme park in the world.
Ferrari World is under construction on Yas Island, the 2,500-hectare development that's also the site of the Yas Marina circuit, where today's race takes place. Attractions will include the world's fastest rollercoaster, and dual rollercoasters that allow visitors to race each other. A 200ft tower will fire visitors high into the air to simulate F1-level G-forces. Continue reading...
MIT Affective Intelligent Driving Agent: Robotic backseat driver
Researchers at MIT are in the process of developing the Affective Intelligent Driving Agent, an in-car robot with an intelligent navigation system.
AIDA can identify the best route between your commonly visited destinations, taking into account environmental factors, like traffic, and your habits, such as popping out for a biryani on Thursdays. It can also give feedback on your driving, and responds to your facial expressions with its emotive 'eyes'.
Continue reading...
Nissan fish robots move in driving schools
Nissan has shown off cute new robots that can move in a group and avoid crashing into things -- and each other. The fish-like Eporos move in a school by sharing their position and other information. The idea is to incorporate this technology into cars, to prevent accidents and traffic jams by giving the driver more information. Continue reading...
