Cool Thing Of The Day: The iPhone Remote-Controlled (Real) Car

[Brad Kenney]

Using a set of video cameras, lasers, sensors, a wifi network and a "drive by wire" system, an engineer at the Free University in Berlin has equipped a Dodge minivan with an iPhone remote control application called iDriver that looks like it actually works pretty well. (Warning: German-level bad music.)

[ez_at_large]

And what possible use does such misguided research have? Can't deny the kewl factor but c'mon in what world do we want people driving cars carrying passengers driven remotely?

And don't even bother with the military theory as they have the technology already in aircraft.

[Phyrexii]

At least it will keep people from texting while driving!

[Rog]

Didn't such a vehicle and device appear in James Bond movie several years ago (A 5 Series BMW in that case). The pure idea isn't original or innovative and the technology isn't new. What a shame this gentleman can't put his doubtless considerable talents to something we might actually need.

[wesdavidson]

Could be neat! think of it, you step out of wallyworld , it is a category 5 typhoon (sleet, snow, wind, rain, nasty weather) and there are knee deep puddles and potholes everywhere. -And your wife and her mother just had their hair done.
You could enjoy walking out, getting drenched, muddy, cold and miserable. Or - pull out your techno gadget phone and drive the car the 2.5 miles across the parking lot. The latter would make you the hero, score big points with the mother in law that came with you, and save a few bills for shoes, drycleaning and pnumonia.

The keys here are low maximum speed, camera views 360 degrees, GPS map views, and sensor controlled auto stop if anything gets too close. Better to have to walk than bend metal or smash someone's mother in law. Parking lot utility would be the selling point, let's leave the freeway stuff until toyota can get the throttle pedals worked out.

Wi-fi communication between auto-cars and smart parking lots would help as well. - this could be worked into a neat self parking system for company lots and parking terraces. It could save thousands of employee hours a day for larger companies. Hmmmm, blew that applications patent.

[rbrooku]

You can buy a cheap portable cell phone jammer at dealextreme.com. Just the thing to go along with this application.

[Rog]

And think of the money lawyers and insurance companies are going to make when two remotely controlled vehicles crash into each other when the signal cuts out.

[wesdavidson]

That is why you have autostop. "Utmost Safety" is the standard. utility is 2nd and convenience 3rd. As for insurance? The driver is in control. This would be no different than the cement pumpers and construction cranes that operate with remote control. In the US most insurance is issued on vehicles, not drivers licences, thus the car and not the driver is insured. I am sure that each company would have it's own regs.
As for DOT regulations and state regs, they are authorised in most states to regulate public roads, not parking lots. This system could be set up to only be active in "safe areas".
Again, neat ideas.
The real nice part? - Cars don't fall out of the sky when they stop!

( I have known a few people who have built, programmed and flown autonomous aircraft for DARPA etc. Stopping is not an option. )

[rbrooku]

I was, of course, being facetious when I noted the availability of cell phone jammers. It does, however, point up the limitations of this technology. The number of UAVs operating in a given area at any one time is relatively limited and signal interruption can be dealt with autonomously with a UAV which usually has a great deal of empty airspace in which to act autonomously . Widespread use of such technology in ground vehicles on crowded streets and highways would obviously lead to unfortunate and sometimes deadly incidents.