Drive a Car with an iPhone App

Joining the list of technological innovations deemed frightening should they fall into the hands of the general public, a few German techies devised an iPhone app that remotely drives an autonomous van called the Spirit of Berlin, according to Engadget.

The iDriver controls acceleration and braking with a couple of buttons, while steering is done by swaying the iPhone back and forth like you’re playing a video game.

The van uses a combination of Wi-Fi, laser 3-D sensors, cameras, GPS and a drive-by-wire system to pull this off. Appirion, which specializes in mobile phone software, created the app.

If you thought texting while driving was scary, imagine a teenager controlling his or her car remotely. Check out the video, and feel free to comment on the bizarre music choices, especially the decades-old Mario Bros. music at the end.

iPhone App Can Drive a Car (Detroit Free Press)

Google Tries to Dominate Handheld Navigation

Google Maps, Google Earth satellite images and Google Street View — all in one navigation system? That’s right. Google has just announced its upcoming Google Maps Navigation beta, which will be available on Android phones like Verizon’s upcoming Motorola Droid.

A few of the most intriguing features include voice search, alternate routing to avoid traffic, points of interest along route search and access to the up-to-date points of interest database. The most amazing feature that we have yet to see on any navigation platform is Google Street View images overlaid on the route; with it, you see a real photo from your exact vantage point and a directional arrow telling you where to go. The app will require an active internet connection at all times, which allows it to download only the maps and information you’re requesting at the time as well as provide up-to-date information regarding traffic and points of interest.

After the Motorola Droid rolls out Nov. 6 for $199.99 (with a two-year contract), Google Maps Navigation beta should extend to other devices using the Google Android operating system. There’s no word on whether this will be available for iPhones.

While this is great news for smartphone users, it’s terrible news for the navigation industry. Check out the video below and let us know if you think this could be the death of dedicated portable navigation devices.

3-D GPS Maps to Help at Difficult Intersections

Have you ever come to a highway intersection and found it difficult to tell which real-world road you want to take — even with GPS?

Navteq, a digital map and traffic data provider, plans to help drivers navigate the most difficult intersections by rendering them in 3-D. The image appears as animation but mimics what the driver sees through the windshield, including roads signs, overhead passes and other real-world objects.

For 2,000 of the U.S.’s most confusing intersections and 8,000 worldwide, Navteq’s software will switch from a flat map to 3-D and highlight the correct lane. It will provide the visual cues that are most useful to people in the midst of an uncertain split-second decision, according to the company.

Navteq calls these 3-D renderings “Motorway Junction Objects.” The company has not announced when the service will become available on GPS units.

GPS System Offers 3-D, Without the Glasses (Wheels)

Select GM Models to Get Wi-Fi

GM will offer dealer-installed Autonet routers in select SUV and truck models. This comes a year after Chrysler began offering the same service.

The installation will cost $500 as well as $29 a month for 1 GB of service (service cuts out if you surpass 1 GB). The signal reaches up to 150 feet around the vehicle, but there will be no encryption so beware of Wi-Fi leeches.

Chrysler was the first automaker to offer Autonet routers in its vehicles over a year ago, and Volkswagen jumped on board this August, offering router docking stations in the Routan minivan.

Autonet installations will be available starting this month, but you can also order it from GM’s accessories website. Keep in mind, this is only an option in the “new GM” lineups of GMC, Chevy, Buick and Cadillac.

Source: GM

Nav Device Sales Flatline, Could Become Cheaper

After growing 40% last year, the market for portable navigation devices will shrink 1% this year and is expected to stay flat through 2013, according to market researcher iSuppli Corp. Their analysts think sales of 41 million to 44 million units will remain the norm for at least the next four years.

This could mean cheaper devices for consumers as manufacturing costs continue to come down and demand remains stagnant. Look for decent products in the $100 range and even high-end devices hovering around $250, according to Gearlog.

Device manufacturers will likely shift into the next big thing — smart phones and cell phones. Dutch company TomTom, which in 2004 shifted automotive navigation from strictly a luxury feature to the wider market, could nab 20% of high-end smart phone sales if it capitalizes on the emerging technology.

Using a gigabyte of storage, these products have both the application and mapping data right on the phone rather than just the application. Other companies like Networks in Motion have customers keep the application in the phone while the mapping exists in a server.

Lower prices on portable nav devices could push the monthly rates for such services down, too.

Good News: GPS Sales Suck. Hello, Lower Prices (Gearlog)

Mitsubishi's Concept Hybrid Will Win Your Heart, Nose

To make their new PX-MiEV plug-in hybrid crossover concept stand out, Mitsubishi went with an interesting tactic: impress drivers through their nostrils.

The PX-MiEV has an enhanced “cocochi” interior package. This includes upholstery coated with an anti-allergen and visible light photo catalyst that the automaker says counteracts offensive odors, organic compounds, ticks, pollen and other allergens. In addition, the vehicle’s four seats are individually air-conditioned to increase air circulation.

Are your olfactory sensors happy yet? No? Well, good, because there’s more.

The crossover also has a driver monitoring system that can sense when a driver’s concentration is faltering and will emit a “distinctive fragrance” as well as visual, vibrational and audio alerts. The air conditioning will emit a “relaxing perfume” and enriched negative-ion oxygen that increases brain alertness and averts fatigue behind the wheel.

Even if you don’t buy a single word of this — as a natural-born skeptic, sign me up for a test drive — at least the hybrid has a measurable benefit: a drivetrain that Mitsubishi says will attain 118 mpg.

No production plans were announced at the Tokyo Motor Show where the vehicle debuted, but we’ll follow the PX-MiEV and keep our noses to the ground (Ba-dum-bump!).

Tokyo Motor Show: the Best-Smelling Car of All Time (The Independent)

New iPhone App Acts Like Your Car Keys

The car security company Directed Electronics has released a new iPhone app that lets users lock and unlock their car doors, pop the trunk, set off the alarm or simply start the vehicle.

Known as the Viper SmartStart, the app is basically a virtual keychain that performs all the functions of your typical smart key. The “Smart Start” button could be particularly useful if you want to warm or cool your car before you get into it.

The app uses the iPhone’s data connection for each command, so you can only control your vehicle when you have an Edge or 3G signal. For me, this brings to mind a horror movie scenario where you’re camping and trying to escape the killer only to find you can’t get a 3G signal to unlock the car’s doors or start the car — but what are the odds that will happen, right?

The app also works on non-cellular data devices, like the iPod Touch, but you have to be near Wi-Fi to use it.

Now for the catch: While the app is free, you need to have Viper’s SmartStart system installed in your car. That will cost you a cool $499 for installation (just $299 if you already have the Viper alarm system), plus $29.99 a year for an active subscription to Viper’s SmartStart service. Customers who get a new installation will get the first year of service for free.

Viper’s New iPhone App Replaces Your Keychain (Web Crawler)

'Smart' Gas Pedal Can Stop Unintended Acceleration

Unintended acceleration has a simple solution: A “smart” gas pedal that recognizes the brake takes precedence over acceleration. This means if they’re both depressed simultaneously the software forces the engine to respond to only to the brake and decelerate.

A few European automakers already have such a system in their vehicles. BMW made the feature standard in all of its vehicles beginning with the 2005 model year. It uses a drive-by-wire accelerator and BMW’s own software, but the feature only works when the vehicle is in motion in case tough guys want to rev the engine while holding down the brake.

For Toyota’s 3.8 million recalled vehicles, a smart gas pedal system is a potential fix. Toyota has said it won’t redesign the floor mats, and new software is an option.

Other automakers that use a smart pedal system include Audi, which had its own rash of unintended acceleration cases in the ’80s, and Volkswagen. Nissan will have a similar system for the 2010 Infiniti M, and Chrysler says most of its vehicles include the technology, as well.

Smart Gas Pedals May Solve Floor-Mat Problem (Wheels)

Mexican Company Develops 'Smart' Speed Bumps

Mexico relies heavily on speed bumps to control traffic, but they lead cars to use more fuel and emit more pollutants, according to a study by Mexico City Autonomous University. This has led Decano Industries of Mexico to develop “smart” speed bumps.

The device makes driving smooth and hassle free for those traveling the speed limit. The bump is made from two steel plates; if a car is moving slowly enough, its weight triggers a patented device under the metal causing the plates to collapse for a smooth path. Cars going too fast fail to trigger the mechanism and the bump remains in place.

The device is still in the prototype stage, but Mexico City — the central part of the city contains 18,000 speed bumps alone — is hankering for ways to reduce pollution and congestion, no matter how small.

The device is meant for developing countries with rising congestion issues. It uses no electricity and will last about 10 years with a cost of $1,500 per lane and $50 of annual maintenance.

The mechanical version can handle speeds as high as 25 mph, but an electric version will be developed for faster speeds.

‘Smart’ Speed Bumps Being Developed in Mexico (USA Today)

Yes, There is a Use for Infiniti's Around View Monitor

When it first debuted I thought Infiniti’s Around View Monitor was a good idea, especially for my tight parking space off of a Chicago alley. However, for the typical suburbanite with a garage I figured it would be a bit useless. I recently moved to the suburbs — two-car garage and everything — and now I have a really narrow driveway. It is so narrow that the wife and I have driven off it on occasion. Now I know that the Around View Monitor has its place in the burbs, too.

Our driveway navigation skills are improving, but driving the 2009 Infiniti EX35 for a night reminded me just how good the Around View Monitor can be. The mix of overhead and front camera angles with the proximity alert got me to and from my garage without even looking up from the LCD screen.

On the 2010 model, the monitor is part of the $2,150 option package, which is not a small amount of money. But at least it’s part of a more popular package than the $2,250 Technology Package. which includes a lane departure warning, forward collision warning systems and other safety features many drivers may not want.

2009|Infiniti|EX35