I know, I know, it doesn’t look real, but apparently some dude (François Knorreck) spent 10 years, 10,000 work hours and 15,000 Euros building the Snaefell, a motorcycle with the ultimate side car.  I was sort of hoping that the bike could detach from the side car and be independently propelled, but as you can see from the overhead shot it’s one complete body; a Unibody (wink) of sorts.  I have to question how well it handles, but considering its uniqueness does it really matter?

More pics after the ‘leap’

[via TheKneeSlider]

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Controlling a car via the iPhone is pretty old news at this point, but the boys (and girls) at Waterloo Labs have modded an old ass, broke ass Oldsmobile using every day parts to control the vehicle using the handset.  If the Teenwolf Styles move (aka surfing the car) isn’t enough for you, check the modded power wheels.

[via Crunchgear]

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Every time you fly in a commercial jet plane, a blackbox records everything the plane does. In case of an accident, recovering this blackbox lets authorities determine what the plane was doing up to the time of the accident.

With the DRS 1100 you can add similar blackbox features to your car. The DRS 1100 consists of a video recorder with a Secure Digital (SD) card reader (and an included 4GB SD card), a mounting bracket, and a lengthy power cord for plugging the unit into a cigarette lighter.

The idea is that you fix the mounting bracket to your windshield using its adhesive backing, attach the video recorder to the mounting bracket, and plug the power cord into the cigarette lighter and video recorder.

To allow you to mount the recorder on the windshield or dashboard, the camera lens swivels up or down, allowing you to aim the lens forward no matter what odd position you mount the device. When you’ve mounted the device, you’re ready to start driving.

The moment the video recorder detects a sudden impact such as rapid deceleration from braking or a jolt from getting hit (or running into an object), the video recorder automatically kicks in and starts recording video footage, approximate car speed, and GPS (Global Positioning System) coordinates on to its SD card.

Pop this SD card out, plug it into any Windows PC, and run the X-Driven program that lets you access and view the saved video footage. Now you can view data that shows the speed of the car and location, which can help clarify exactly what happened at the scene of an accident.

Rather than wait for a car crash to start the video recorder, you can also press an On button to start the video recorder manually. This can be useful to track where a vehicle has been and how fast it might have gone. Anyone in charge of commercial vehicles (or teenagers borrowing the family car) can appreciate having this information available to review at a later date. This lets you verify not only where the driver went, but how fast and whether he (or she) drove carefully or recklessly.

The included 4GB SD card can hold a surprising amount of video, but you could easily substitute a much larger SD card if you wish, up to 16GB. The video camera isn’t top of the line (just 1.3 megapixel), which captures VGA (640×480), QVGA (320×240), or Mega (1280×960) video resolution. Such a variety of video resolutions lets you capture the quality you like best.

Now here are the drawbacks. According to the manual, turning on the unit and waiting a few minutes will allow the device to start capturing GPS coordinates, but my unit never managed to do so, even after 20 minutes of driving around.

Beyond this flaw, which might have been limited to my particular unit, another problem is that you need to use the company’s X-Driven software to view the recorder data, which gets stored as a proprietary .ub1 format. Unfortunately, the X-Driven program only runs on Windows so if you’re using Linux or a Macintosh, you can’t use the X-Driven program and thus you can’t view any recorded data from the recorder.

While useful and interesting, the DRS 1100 is definitely not a must-have product, but more of a gee-whiz product. Still, if you don’t mind spending $299, the DRS 1100 can be invaluable when you need it the most. With its ability to capture video immediately during and after an accident, the device can capture crucial video evidence to protect you legally.

Leave the device running continuously may not always be practical due to the storage space long video recording sessions would gobble up, but doing so could also help you prove your case in court if stopped by a police officer for running a stop sign or traffic light. With video evidence supporting your case, you could spare yourself a traffic ticket and higher insurance rates, which could make the device pay for itself.

Ultimately, the DRS 1100 is a luxury item, but an extremely useful and desirable one. After seeing the DRS 1100 in action, you may want one just for the novelty, but also because you recognize its potential for capturing video footage when you might need it the most. You might never need the DRS 1100, but you’ll certainly want one.

Pro:

• Captures decent-quality video at various resolutions
• Captures GPS coordinates
• Automatically turns on when jolted during a car accident

Cons:

• Requires Windows, can’t view recorded data using Mac OS X or Linux
• GPS coordinates didn’t seem to work on my unit
• Recorder stores video in files only readable by the X-Driven program

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Chiggity check these decked out Scion DJxBs by Five Axis on display at this year’s SEMA auto show in Vegas.  They’ve got TVs in the doors, a grill in the back with a sink, amps up the yin yang, slotted turn tables in the roof with dance floor and a whole bunch of stuff that truly does pop!

More pics after the ‘leap’

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Oh air bags, how I do appreciate them, especially after getting in a head on collision.  Over the years, it seems like vehicles get more and more of them.  First it was the driver side air bag, then passenger, then curtain and side air bags, so what’s next?  The Seat belt Airbag, but of course.

Ford will start to install them in their SUVs sometime next year and according to them inflate in about 40ms.  The airbag belts, which deploy using a rush of cold compressed air, are designed to more evenly distribute the impact of a crash.  Often in crashes, even while wearing a seat belt you can experience bodily harm due to the belt’s tight grip, such as broken or bruised ribs.

Personally, I’d just prefer a giant bubble around me or fill the car with some sort of protective foam.

FORD INTRODUCES INDUSTRY’S FIRST INFLATABLE SEAT BELTS TO ENHANCE REAR SEAT SAFETY

* Ford introduces the auto industry’s first-ever production inflatable seat belts, which are designed to provide additional protection for rear-seat occupants, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to head, chest and neck injuries
* Ford’s inflatable rear seat belts will debut on the next-generation Ford Explorer sport utility vehicle, which goes into production next year; Ford eventually plans to offer inflatable seat belt technology in vehicles globally
* Ford’s inflatable rear seat belts spread crash forces over five times more area of the body than conventional seat belts; this helps reduce pressure on the chest and helps control head and neck motion for rear seat passengers
* More than 90 percent of Ford research participants indicated that Ford’s inflatable seat belts are similar to or more comfortable than traditional belts, which could help increase the lower rate of rear belt usage

Visit our Rear Inflatable Seat Belt minisite for fact sheets, profiles and multimedia content.

DEARBORN, Mich., Nov. 5, 2009 – Ford Motor Company is bringing to market the world’s first automotive inflatable seat belts, combining attributes of traditional seat belts and air bags to provide an added level of crash safety protection for rear seat occupants.

The advanced restraint system is designed to help reduce head, neck and chest injuries for rear seat passengers, often children and older passengers who can be more vulnerable to such injuries.

Ford will introduce inflatable rear seat belts on the next-generation Ford Explorer, which goes into production next year for the North American market. Over time, Ford plans to offer the technology in vehicles globally.

“Ford’s rear inflatable seat belt technology will enhance safety for rear-seat passengers of all ages, especially for young children who are more vulnerable in crashes,” said Sue Cischke, Ford group vice president of Sustainability, Environmental and Safety Engineering. “This is another unique family technology that builds on our safety leadership, including the most top safety ratings of any automaker.”

Safer and more comfortable
Advances in air bag inflation and seat belt construction methods have enabled Ford and its suppliers to develop inflatable seat belts that are designed to deploy over a vehicle occupant’s torso and shoulder in 40 milliseconds in the event of a crash.

In everyday use, the inflatable belts operate like conventional seat belts and are safe and compatible with infant and children safety car and booster seats. In Ford’s research, more than 90 percent of those who tested the inflatable seat belts found them to be similar to or more comfortable than a conventional belt because they feel padded and softer. That comfort factor could help improve the 61 percent rear belt usage rate in the U.S., which compares to 82 percent usage by front seat passengers, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration data.

“Ford is pioneering inflatable seat belt technology to help enhance crash safety protection, while encouraging more people to buckle up with a more comfortable belt,” said Paul Mascarenas, Ford vice president, Engineering, Global Product Development.

In the event of a frontal or side crash, the inflatable belt’s increased diameter more effectively holds the occupant in the appropriate seating position, helping to reduce the risk of injury.

Vehicle safety sensors determine the severity of the collision in the blink of an eye and deploy the inflatable belts’ air bags. Each belt’s tubular air bag inflates with cold compressed gas, which flows through a specially designed buckle from a cylinder housed below the seat.

The inflatable belt’s accordion-folded bag breaks through the belt fabric as it fills with air, expanding sideways across the occupant’s body in about the same amount of time it takes a car traveling at highway speed to cover a yard of distance.

The use of cold compressed gas instead of a heat-generating chemical reaction – which is typical of traditional air bag systems – means the inflated belts feel no warmer on the wearer’s body than the ambient temperature. The inflatable belts also fill at a lower pressure and a slower rate than traditional air bags, because the device does not need to close a gap between the belt and the occupant.

“It’s a very simple and logical system, but it required extensive trial and error and testing over several years to prove out the technology and ensure precise reliable performance in a crash situation,” said Srini Sundararajan, safety technical leader for Ford research and advance engineering.

The inflated belt helps distribute crash force energy across five times more of the occupant’s torso than a traditional belt, which expands its range of protection and reduces risk of injury by diffusing crash pressure over a larger area, while providing additional support to the head and neck. After deployment, the belt remains inflated for several seconds before dispersing its air through the pores of the air bag.

Ford’s safety leadership record continues to grow
The inflatable seat belt debuting on the next-generation Ford Explorer continues Ford’s record of safety innovation. Ford today has more 5-star U.S. government ratings and “Top Safety Picks” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety than any other automaker.

Ford was the first automaker to introduce seat belts in 1955 and led the way in making driver and front-passenger air bags standard in most vehicles by 1993.

This year, Ford introduced radar-enabled Adaptive Cruise Control with Collision Warning with Brake Support and Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with Cross Traffic Alert (CTA). These technologies – introduced on the new 2010 Ford Taurus and Fusion – help drivers avoid potential dangerous crash situations using radar to detect the relative position of other vehicles and warn the driver with a combination of visual and audio alerts.

Ford’s other recent seat belt and air bag innovations include the industry-first BeltMinder system in 2000, which the U.S. government credited with increasing front belt usage by 5 percent in Ford vehicles. On the 2002 Explorer, Ford launched the industry’s first rollover-activated side curtain air bags – called Safety Canopy – as well as Roll Stability Control technology that goes a step beyond traditional stability control systems by helping measure and prevent side-to-side skidding and dangerous situations that could lead to rollovers.

Ford also introduced on the 2009 F-150 and 2010 Taurus some of the industry’s first pressure-based air bag technologies that help deploy side air bags up to 30 percent faster.

# # #

About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 200,000 employees and about 90 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury and Volvo. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

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Talk about a tailgate party!   The Tundra Midnight Rider Tailgater is a one off truck to celebrate country music duo Brooks & Dunn’s farewell tour.  It’s packed with a 42-inch flat screen, Kicker sound system, an electronically operated tonneau cover and a pull-out Grill N Chill which features a cooking space with countertops, infrared barbeque, beverage tap and ice chest.

Roll up in this bad boy on any given Sunday, and you’ll surely be the center of the party.

[via Theawesomer]

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Now this is actually a really fun idea–you know how, when you were a kid, you probably used to imagine various household objects as race cars?  Well, now you can do it for real with the RC Driver Tissue Box.

This isn’t just a fun idea, either.  It’s also highly useful.  I remember when I had the flu…I was on my back, barely able to move, and even something like getting up to go get a tissue to try and clear my nose sufficiently to breathe was like the labors of Sisyphus.  But the thought of being able to snag a remote and DRIVE my tissues to my sick bed makes me feel almost…happy, somehow.

But still, the idea of driving your tissues around the house is probably at least a minor freakout, so be careful.  It’d be terrible trying to, say, explain to the vet that you ran over your cat’s foot with a box of tissues.  They’re taking pre-orders on them now for $44, so get them before someone else does!

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Available next month, GM’s AutoNet will let you literally install a WiFi hotspot in your car.  The unit plus installation will cost $500 and there will be a monthly charge of $30 for a 1GB cap.  There is also a 5GB cap offered but no price is known as of now.

The range will last up to a radius of 150 feet away from you car and would be great for camping, tailgating, and beyond.  You could even have traveling video game competitions in your SUV while you drive from Inglewood to Compton.  Anybody like this product?

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Here’s a device that makes Big Brother look a lot more fun and accessible–the Driving Reporter Gadget.

It’s a USB device that’s also an in-car 16 channel GPS system that stores about 100 hours of your driving.  All the data, all the activities are routed into this thing so you know exactly where you were, where you turned, and where you went.  Not to mention your speed getting there.  It’s a lot like the black box on an airplane, just for your car.  Okay, granted, the Driving Reporter Gadget is also black in color, but that’s just a funny coincidence.

The device runs on a pair of AAA lithium batteries, and secures anywhere on your car via an attached magnet (doubly odd since this seems to at least have some limited memory right next to a magnet as part of the design.), and you can even watch your trip on Google Earth, which is awesome if you have a tendency to get lost and want to watch your own highlight reel to figure out how you got so abjectly butt-lost in the first place.

I’m a bit concerned about having a device tattle on you constantly, but for parents this may be a godsend.  They cost $229.95 each, so finding out where your car’s been is pretty easy.

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Whoa nelly!  Volkswagen has modded a stock Passat Wagon with a variety of sensors and a built-in computer system to enable the vehicle to park itself.  Of course, it doesn’t know how to avoid obstacles, such as people, and requires a schematic of the parking lot’s layout.

When you arrive at your desired location, you’d step out of the vehicle at say the restaurant’s front entrance.  Then with the tap of a button on your iPhone (but of course) the vehicle would go in search of an empty parking space.  When you leave the restaurant you ‘call’ your vehicle back.  Simple as that.

As for the equipment: the test vehicle, which is a Standford research vehicle, uses the preexisting front radar system (that’s part of the car’s cruise control system) and a camera mounted in front of the rear view mirror (this is currently available as part of VW’s night driving assistance).  The only thing used in this test vehicle that isn’t stock, aside from the computer, are something called LIDAR, which is like RADAR but uses light instead.

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It’s as if we need further proof that the iPhone can do just about anything.

Using the same platform used in the 2007 Darpa Urban Challenge (an autonomous vehicle system) the Spirit of Berlin team built an iPhone app that allows a minivan to be controlled right from Apple’s smartphone over WiFi.  A forward facing camera transmits real time video to the phone’s screen and a set of buttons control the gas, break and steering wheel, which is tied into the phone’s accelerometer.

While I wouldn’t hurdle myself into shotgun for the proverbial ghost ride, I’d love to give this thing a whirl.

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If there was ever an Xbox 360 Motorcycle here it is.  On show at Japan’s Tokyo Motor Show, the Yamaha EC-f is an electric motorcycle/scooter that sports a lightweight aluminum frame, a lithium-ion battery and a 0.6 kWh electric motor.  Best of all the EC-f uses a standard plug that works with any AC outlet. 

It looks like there is an EC-fs model, but I can’t find the specs on that.

[via Inhabitat]

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The folks out at Dell have given us a pretty sweet gadget to check out.  Now, chances are, you’ve heard about a LOT of solar powered whatnot, especially right here.  And some of it is pretty strange.  Solar powered jackets, solar powered cars…well, now Dell’s going to bring you what may be the strangest solar powered device of all.

The solar powered parking lot.

I kid you not, ladies and gentlemen–Dell has put together a series of solar panel-laden paviliions in its parking lot designed to provide not only shade to the cars beneath in the hot sun, but also to take that sun and convert it into electrical energy by which employees can charge, at no cost to them, their plug-in hybrids and full-on electric vehicles.

The equivalent of free gas is a pretty nifty perk, and the crew out at Dell has to be feeling some love off of this one.

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Speed bumps are great and all, especially if they prevent unwanted deaths in your local neighborhood, but for those law abiding citizens they can be a menace on your car’s suspension, especially if you’ve got ground effects.  The speed sensing speed bump detects when a car is traveling slowing and flattens, thus rewarding those that follow the posted speeds.  For those that speed, though, the metal plates detect the sudden force and harden creating what is commonly known as a speed bump…or hump in some places.  Built by Mexico’s Decano Industries, each speed sensing speed bump will cost roughly $1,500 to install and that doesn’t include the inevitable repairs from tampering.  Stupid video demo after the ‘leap’

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For those of you who live and die with your iPhone, now there’s a way for you to actually start your car with your smart phone of choice.  Viper has just announced their new iPhone app and vehicle module appropriately titled the Viper Smart Start.  From your iPhone you can start your car, turn on the heat, unlock doors and the trunk, and manage the alarm.  The app itself is not limited by any certain distance parameters as long as it receives a signal.  Sounds crazy right?

So while the App itself is free, the device that needs to be installed into your car is not.  Costing somewhere between $300-$500 depending on the make and model of your car, there’s also a annual fee of $30.  Available now at BestBuy.

Watch the fun informational video.

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A life lived in a fear is a life half lived.  Of course, a life behind bars because you lack the evidence to prove your innocence might not be a life at all.  The Car Cam Voyager with LCD records 720×480 video at 25-30fps, and provides you a real time view on its 2-inch LCD.

It’s not exactly a ground breaking piece of kit, but its super simple setup – just mount it on your dashboard or visor and plug it into your cigarette lighter – makes it very appealing.  Pop in a 32GB microSD card and you can record up to 48 hours of footage, more than enough evidence to exonerate you in the case of a life threatening accident.  You can pick one up from Brickhouse for $299.95.

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What at first glance appears to be a defunct fighter jet of some sort is in fact the fastest fuel cell vehicle on the planet.  The Buckeye Bullet 2 (it’s older brother is electric and slightly faster) achieved a top speed of 304mph.  It’s powered by a custom 700hp electric motor and fueled by a combination of hydrogen and oxygen batteries.  Me want to ride in..drool.

[via Inhabitat]

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If you’ve got that one great gadget that you always rely on in the car, and you always find yourself needing a change of batteries for it, then Wagan Tech may have exactly what you’re looking for.  It’s a two-battery charger that plugs directly into your car’s cigarette lighter and always keeps a couple batteries on hand, charged and ready.

Not only does this charger come adjustable for the best positioning, it also has an LED reading light built in.  You can pick one of these up for just $12.49 direct from Wagan Tech’s website.

This is actually a pretty sharp idea, because I know I’ve found myself without batteries for something on the road, and being able to slip into a quick recharge on the go makes for a lot of frustration that I didn’t need to have.  This is a pretty sweet idea–now to let them come out with a four or eight battery model….

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Thule, who is no stranger to external car accessory parts, has come up with a new and innovative snow tire chain that is both practical and easy to attach.  Crafted of metal studs and a plastic body, the K-summit attaches to one of the tire’s lug nuts and then using a crank tightening system fits into places providing that much needed grip to traverse even the most slippery of slopes.

The below video screams ‘concept’, but since it’s a 2008 product, at least according to their catalog, it should be available now, right?

[via Coolhunting]

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Just watch the video.  This thing is crazy looking.  Obviously taking some tech cues from Segway I would love to see a fat person riding one of these.

The Honda U3-X Electric Unicycle Concept uses internal balance control to ensure that the device stays upright and tops out at a speed of 3.7 Mph.  I really want to try one.  According to Honda president Takanobu It the concept has been designed with the elderly in mind to help them get around easier without all the bulk of present day scooters and such.

No word if this product will see production but I’m hoping it never sees action in a Mall Cop movie sequel.  Wait, or do I?  Last time I noticed Kevin James was fat right?

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