Posts Tagged vehicle gadgets
ExiTool: For those who fear being snagged by the seatbelt
Posted by admin in Car Gadgets on March 10th, 2010
I have a mother that cannot stand watching films where the main characters drive into water. I think she has an irrational fear of drowning in a car, and films that show characters caught in their seatbelt don’t help. In all honesty, I have no idea if a car’s seat belt will malfunction like that if it hits the water, but if you have this same fear as my Mom, you might want to get the ExiTool.
The ExiTool is what its mixed name implies, a tool that gives you an exit. It is designed to affix permanently to the seat belt strap itself, and be there when it is needed. I am assuming that needed is the day when your seat belt jams when you don’t want it to. You have a device with a blade that will allow you to cut yourself out, and you can make your escape.
As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve not certain if a seat belt will malfunction in water. I thought the whole point of a seatbelt is to keep us safe. You know, “seat belts save lives”. This was drilled into me during Driver’s Education. I remember one film that showed a cop or medical guy (I don’t remember) say “I never pulled a dead body out of a seat belt”.
But hey, it might be just that little bit of precaution that you need or want for just $27. It also has an LED light as well.
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ExiTool: For those who fear being snagged by the seatbelt
Spokeless bike made by Yale students, in one semester
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on February 17th, 2010
Remember that latest Star Trek movie, where James T. Kirk goes to register for the Starfleet academy on a motorcycle? In all honesty, I thought that there wouldn’t be motorcycles in the twenty-third century, but the film did everything it could to make futuristic. In fact, if you look close enough, you will see that the wheels have no spokes!
How is that possible? Probably with the same dilithium crystal technology that makes warp drives work, probably. However, some Yale mechanical engineering class tried to use real technology to put spokeless wheels on a bicycle.
As you can see, the chain is not attached to a gear that is in the center of the back wheel, but rather to another wheel that can spin the back wheel. Just in case you are wondering why both wheels are not spokeless, then you should know that the group just ran out of time. I mean, they only had one semester, and if I know how students work, they probably spent ten weeks planning it out, and two weeks building the final model.
Of course, I could be wrong. Who am I to judge? It’s not like I’ve ever tried to build a spokeless cycle of any kind. Which begs the question, why build a spokeless cycle? Are spokes dangerous? Do they slow a bike down?
By the way, this isn’t it as far as a spokeless bike is concerned. The design frame is made to possibly do an electric motor, and maybe even “some sort of gyro balanced storage basket”.
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Spokeless bike made by Yale students, in one semester
Turn your car into a tank
Posted by admin in Car Gadgets on February 15th, 2010
This next device is the best thing to come out of Russia since the those Daywatch and Nightwatch films.
This contraption is able to take an ordinary car and turn it into a tank. Apparently, it uses a continuous tracked platform to create a better monster truck than the Legendary Bigfoot.
Too bad you can’t just drive up on this thing with a pair of ramps and be tank treads. According to my source, the wheels must be taken off the car in order to get this to work, so I’m guessing that the axle needs to be attached to this somehow.
I can imagine a good use for this. You see, I always had this idea that I was going to buy a big house out in the middle of nowhere and drive out to Costco every few months for supplies. Now, if it snows really hard, how am I going to get out of my driveway?
Tank treads, that’s how! Yeah, my car’s a tank now! How do you like that, other motorists? Oh, you want to pass me? Oh, I’ll pass over you. Monster truck madness! Yeah.
Anyway, there is a video below, but it is sadly all in Russian. But it is enough to show how it will work.
I can’t imagine putting anything but a truck on this. I wouldn’t mind seeing a picture of a Fit or Volkswagen on tank treads.
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Aircruise: Hydrogen-powered floating cruise ship
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on February 4th, 2010
I always wished that I was around when blimps, balloons, and other airships were the only method of air travel. The biggest problem with this rather romantic method of air travel was that there was only so much room in the passenger area that hung underneath the inflated area.
As a result, cruising by air could never be as huge as the sea cruise business. However, this Aircruise concept could easily change that.
This diamond-shaped airship runs on hydrogen fuel cells and has a speed of 90 miles per hour. Granted, it is pretty slow compared to a jetplane, but this method of travel is ten times better than First Class.
The plan is to fill the Aircruise with bars and lounges, but I can’t help but wonder how much you can actually put on there. I believe that another part of the plan is to give the Aircruise glass floors, so this trip is definitely not for the acrophobes who don’t want to “walk on air”.
I realize that the Aircruise is one of those aircrafts that will take years, possibly even decades, to develop, but I would love to go on its maiden voyage. Let’s hope that it wouldn’t end like the Titanic’s, or it will be a cross between the White Star ship and the Hindenberg.
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Aircruise: Hydrogen-powered floating cruise ship
Jupiter Jack
Posted by admin in Audio Gadgets on January 31st, 2010
What do you use your car radio for? Most of us listen to our own MP3 songs anyways, doing away with the need for a local DJ, but for those who prefer an unexpected playlist as well as traffic updates, then the car radio is still a pretty essential tool to have around. With the Jupiter Jack, things are spiced up even more since it will turn your car radio into a speaker phone!
Simply plug the compact Jupiter Jack unit into any cell phone headphone jack, tune your car radio to 99.3 FM and start talking. Enjoy crisp, clear conversation as the sound is transmitted through your car speakers while keeping your hands on the wheel. An inexpensive alternative to costly blue tooth systems. Fits any cell phone headphone jack. Adapters for all cellphones included.
Hmmm – do you think this is work forking out $9.98 for?
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Jupiter Jack
Smart Fish’s Conceptual one-man plane
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on January 26th, 2010
Now where have I seen this new concept plane from Smart Fish before? Oh yes, the very first Spy Kids movie!
Remember the scene when Carmen and Juni steal this special plane from their uncle Machete in order to rescue their parents at Floop’s castle? The plane even has the same type of bulky jet engine on the front.
Perhaps the designers at Smart Fish liked the idea of a small plane with this aerodynamic shape that can serve as a one-man flyer. I really hope that Disney does not bring a lawsuit against Smart Fish. That could hinder Smart Fish’s plans to license the tech to the aerospace industry. Smart Fish also wants to do wind tunnel testing as well as an actual flying scale model. If this jet ever does get made, it is planned to have a large range of 3100 miles and fast speed of Mach 0.85.
Hopefully they will have solved the problem of landing gear. I can see how a wheel could be retracted in each of the wings, but I don’t see how a front wheel could be retracted with that bulky engine there. In other words, good luck trying to do three-point landings with this guy.
So, are we looking at a Jetsons-like future where the skies will be full of these one-man aircrafts? Man, I hope so. I mean, if you can’t give me a flying car, then at least give me this.
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Smart Fish’s Conceptual one-man plane
Snow Chopper made from spare parts
Posted by admin in DIY Gadgets on January 22nd, 2010
I love seeing DIY gadgets like these. Every time I see one, such as the Star Trek phaser, I can’t help but think: “how does one get the time to build these things?”
I mean, I can barely keep up with my writing deadlines. Therefore, I will give my full congratulations to Bob Sawicki and Toby Weisser for using their weeknights and Sundays to build the snow chopper that you see in the photo.
Sawicki and Weisser are stationed in Antarctica, at the McMurdo Station research center. Sawicki and Weisser were responsible for maintaining snowmobiles at the station, and they decided to use the spare parts for the chopper.
In all honesty, if I were stationed in the coldest place on Earth, I would probably do some sort of side project, just so I wouldn’t be driven crazy. Yet the reason why they built it was the McMurdo Alternative Art Gallery (MAAG), an “annual show highlighting the creative and artistic talents of the community”.
In case you are curious, the snow chopper can do 60 miles per hour in the shop, and 6 miles an hour on the snow. Of course, he was joking when he said this, so I don’t have the actual speed. They have taken it out for a spin a few times, though.
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Vizio announces new accessory components
Posted by admin in Audio Gadgets on January 19th, 2010
Vizio knows that most home theater enthusiasts would love to accessorize their setup, which is why they have a brand new line up of accessory components that aim to further enhance the performance and installation of their HDTV and HD audio components. First off the blocks would be a wireless HDMI adapter that comes with a 4-port switch that is capable of delivering HD quality video and audio from a variety of source devices including Blu-ray players and set-top boxes to virtually any HDTV sans the need for an HDMI cable. This would come in handy where keeping a neat living room is concerned, as the lack of visible wires also makes it easier to clean the back of your TV rack/mount whenever small colonies of dust bunnies start to congregate.
Apart from that, Vizio also has a new range of extremely slim wall mounts that cater for HDTVs which range from 19″ to 65″ in size, as long as they don’t tip the scales at more than 130 lbs. You get both swivel and tilt capability with these new wall mounts that provides for a more enjoyable viewing experience. To make sure that your senses receive the very best performance possible, Vizio is also offering a new range of premium HDMI cables alongside an environmentally friendly cleaning foam which is capable ofkeeping HDTV displays as well as other electronic components free of dust and scratches.
Last but not least would be Vizio’s tow new universal remote controls, where one of them looks as though it is from the future, featuring a 3.5″ LCD touchscreen display with automatic backlight control. Known as the XRT100, it offers digital touchscreen control of VIA-enabled television sets, but also has the ability of functioning with any legacy A/V component which ought to make it all the more attractive for those who have yet to upgrade the rest of their home entertainment system. You won’t be able to enjoy multi-touch control on the 3.5″ LCD touchscreen though, but at least its one-touch controls are more than enough to handle the majority of your home theater system components without missing a beat, alongside the ability to display favorite apps grouped by user or genre.
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Jabra Cruiser wireless speakerphone
Posted by admin in Audio Gadgets on January 19th, 2010
Those who have used Bluetooth headsets right from the very beginning with their then technologically advanced cellphones would definitely have come across the brand name Jabra, as the company has rolled out a fair number of decent Bluetooth headsets in the past. Well, they don’t really have any standout device like Aliph’s Jawbone series, but then again they don’t need such a distinctive device considering the fact that most of the money comes from the average cellphone user who wants a decent performing Bluetooth headset that is priced correctly. Well, today we’ll look at the Jabra Cruiser Bluetooth wireless speakerphone, where it is the first of its kind that features Noise Blackout technology when used with cellphones.
Noise Blackout technology involves a dual microphone system which is capable of removing virtually all street and traffic sounds while optimizing voice quality simultaneously to make sure you get your message across in a crystal clear manner. Of course, this does not guarantee that the person on the receiving end will follow through with whatever instructions you provide since that is out of Jabra’s hand, but at least it does do away with the excuse of the line “being not clear” during a conversation. The Cruiser is able to bring superior audio quality in a sleek design alongside in-car convenience that makes it possible to keep both hands on the wheel while discussing about a multi-million dollar deal.
Another interesting aspect of its proprietary Noise Blackout technology would be the ability to identify the direction of various sounds, where among them include traffic and backseat chatter. This technology helps to reduce only surrounding noise without distorting a user’s voice. With Multiuse connectivity, you can hook up the Jabra Cruiser to a couple of Bluetooth-enabled devices, and they are not limited to just cellphones but can also encompass smartphones and MP3 players among others. The inclusion of a built-in FM transmitter makes it possible to store both calls as well as MP3 files on a mobile device, where you can play it back on the Jabra Cruiser via a vehicle’s stereo system later on. Interested? The Jabra Cruiser comes with a price tag of $99.99.
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Art Lebedev’s See-through Semi-truck
Posted by admin in Future Concepts on December 23rd, 2009
Some of you have at least heard of Art Lebedev, the creator of the Optimus Maximus, the keyboard with a screen on every key. Some of you thought that was impractical, and it was quite expensive.
Art Lebedev has now conceived another idea that will probably very expensive to implement, but very useful. It is called the Transparentius, and it is a Harry Potter spell to turn a truck invisible.
Seriously, it actually is a way to put two LCD screens on the back of a semi truck to show what is in front of it. Of course, there would have to be a camera in front of the truck to create this sub-standard invisibility trick.
I can see the inspiration for this Transparentius, because we have all been behind a big semi trucks before. They usually move so slow, that we have to pass, but those trucks are massive that we can’t see around them. With these screens on the back, now you see when it is safe to pass.
Of course, those screens have to be pretty expensive, and then there is the camera that it feeds to. It could be an easy target for truck-stop robbers.
Well, this is still a concept for now, so maybe Mr. Levedev can iron out all the kinks of this device soon. Perhaps LCD screens will be really cheap by then.
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Art Lebedev’s See-through Semi-truck